Without a Trace
by 27hope
Summary: When Felicity's goddaughter goes missing, she enlists the Oliver and Diggle's help to do whatever it takes to get her back.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** Hey everyone! Well, this fic has been a long time coming. I think I started it back in October? It's slowly been worked on and I am finally finishing and posting it. This story takes place somewhere within the first half of season 2, however, there are no spoilers for the season two.

Huge thanks to anthfan for looking over the chapter for me!

As always, I love hearing what you think! Thanks for all your support! :)

* * *

Felicity's head had barely hit the pillow when the trilling of her phone blasted through the early dawn silence. She groaned into her comforter, knowing if it was Digg or Oliver she was going to have a few choice words for them.

Her body yearned for rest - the week had been long and laborious and while she'd grown somewhat accustomed to the hours after working with Oliver for a little over a year, she could still tell when she was almost at her breaking point.

Grabbing the phone from her bedside table, she glanced at the caller ID before bolting upright in bed, her thumb swiping over the screen.

"Kylie?" she gasped, heart racing in her chest as her cousin's face flashed on her screen.

"Lis?" Her cousin whispered hoarsely and immediately Felicity knew something was terribly wrong.

"What is it? What happened? Did they come back?" The questions flew out of her mouth before she could stop them.

Kylie and her husband Ben lived in a neighborhood just outside the Glades. Ben had been employed at a company headquartered in the heart of the most damaged area in the Glades and was now jobless with an eighteen month old baby girl and wife to support. As crime had escalated in the heart of the Glades, it had slowly spread outward, and it was now literally at her cousin's doorstep. For the past week, they had been hearing noises outside of their bungalow home. While they'd never been able to spot anyone near the house, voices could be heard walking the streets. Kylie had been terrified that one night they were going to barge their way in and take whatever they wanted.

Felicity had called Lance immediately after Kylie's first worried call to her, trying to see if he could somehow get patrols set up in their neighborhood. But, as she expected, the police department was stretched thin as it was - there were no more bodies to send out on extra patrols.

She'd briefly thought about asking Oliver, knowing he'd do what he could to help, even patrolling the area himself at night. But around the same time, a madman had started taking hostages at random throughout the city, asking for ransom before leaving their victims barely clinging to life. It had taken them all week to track and bring the man to justice. In addition, this week had been crucial for Queen Consolidated and the company's bid to outlast the takeover by Stellmoor. Oliver had been sequestered in meeting after meeting with the board of trustees as well as the executives to try and find a solution. Eventually, an agreement had been reached and a loophole found. But not before exhausting most of their resources.

Every time Felicity thought about bringing up her cousin's predicament, she'd seen the weariness in Oliver's eyes and changed her mind - hating to put one more thing on his shoulders and the already full plate in front of them all. Even Diggle had looked like he'd gone a week without sleep, the always formidable man's eyes sunken and bloodshot as they'd left the Foundry early this morning.

"Kylie..." Felicity pleaded, hearing her cousin's breaths come out in desperate heaves.

"They took her," she sobbed, and Felicity felt her stomach drop, her hand clamping down on the phone so hard her fingers began to hurt.

"Oh God!" she breathed, "Please no. Kylie...when?"

Felicity was already scrambling out of bed, pulling on her recently abandoned jeans and t-shirt.

"Just about an hour ago...Ben tried to stop them, but they shot him," A sob interrupted her cousin's words and Felicity swallowed the dread that balled up in her stomach. "He's in surgery...they said he should be fine, but...Lis, I don't know what to do..." Hearing her cousin's cries, she had to blink back her own tears. "What if they...what if…" her words trailed off and Felicity shook her head, knowing where Kylie's thoughts were leading her. "I just need my baby back!"

"Are the police there?" Felicity asked, swallowing her own emotions to try and be as strong as she could for her cousin. She needed all the information she could gather as she snatched her car keys from their hook and rushed for the door to her apartment.

"Yes," the other woman replied shakily. "But they don't know where to start looking...an Officer Lance has been asking me questions for the past hour...Felicity...I don't know what to do..."

She wanted to reassure her that Officer Lance was a good man and that she should trust him, but it would raise too many questions - questions she didn't have time to answer right then.

"Just hang on," Felicity said as calmly as possible, swallowing past the lump in her throat. "I'm going to make a few calls. Have you called your parents?" she asked.

"Yeah," Kylie replied. "They're on their way. My sister's almost here."

"Okay," Felicity told her, trying to keep the tears at bay. "Just hold on, Ky."

"Thank you, Lis," she replied, "Oh, the doctor's here...I have to go."

Before Felicity could say anything else, the line went dead.

Already at her car, she pulled the door open and climbed inside, her heart pounding in her chest. The tears she'd been holding back began to spill down her cheeks and she quickly wiped them away as she started the engine. She needed to get to the Foundry. That's where her best equipment was - if she was going to help Kylie, she needed the programs they had to try and pick up any clue she could on the men who had taken her goddaughter.

Halfway to the Foundry, she saw the exit that led to the Queen Estate. She hesitated  
for only a second before swerving onto the turnoff lane and heading towards the road.

Much to her surprise, the security guard at the gate didn't hesitated to let her pass when she gave them her name and she quickly drove up the long, seemingly endless, driveway to the massive stone house. She'd been there once or twice before after bringing Oliver back from the island, but she never got over just how much it resembled a castle to her.

She stopped under the car park and exited, her nerves suddenly hitting her full force as she realized she was standing in front of the Queen residence at nearly five in the morning. Wiping her sweaty palms on her jeans, she approached the double doors and lifted her hand to ring the bell. She hesitated, almost turning and fleeing back to her car, but something deep inside her needed to see him if for no other reason than to know tell him she'd need a few days off. Steeling her nerves, she determinedly pushed the silver-plated doorbell.

Her heart thrummed in her chest as she waited, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach, realizing for the first time that she hadn't remembered to grab her coat on the way out of her apartment.

A few moments passed before an older Hispanic woman opened the door with a furrowed brow. "Hello, miss?"

"Uh...hi," Felicity said softly, feeling the blush rise to her cheeks, but recognizing the woman in front of her as the Queen's housemaid. "I'm Felicity Smoak...I know it's ridiculously early and I might have woken up everyone, but I really need to speak to Oliver...er...Mr. Queen. It's important and I probably just should have called, but..." That thought flew through her mind and she wondered why she hadn't done that instead of showing up at his doorstep. "I'm so sorry...it's just..it's an emergency..."

Her voice cracked and a flash of recognition and sympathy crossed the woman's features. Quickly, she ushered Felicity inside the expansive foyer. "Oh course, Ms. Felicity, I remember now. You work with Mr. Oliver. Come in."

Once the door was shut tight behind her, Felicity felt the tears threatening to fall again as the housekeeper laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Let me go get Mr. Oliver for you. Please, come sit while you wait..."

"Thank you," Felicity replied softly as the woman motioned to a settee just below the set of double grand stairs that lead to the second and third levels of the house.

She sat for only a moment until the thoughts became too much, and then she began to pace, rubbing her hands up and down her bare arms as she waited. Her mind was overrun with one horrible scenario after another at what could be happening to her little Ellie. Tears stung at her eyes and she blinked, trying to hold them back, but she could feel the wetness on her cheeks. A sob worked it's way up her throat and she clamped down on her lips to keep it from escaping when she heard his voice behind her.

"Felicity?" he called, his voice rough with sleep and she instantly spun to find him standing at the base of the staircase, hair rumpled, wearing only a pair of grey sweatpants.

Her heart lodged somewhere in her throat as she saw the instant concern that rose in his eyes as he took in her appearance. He took one step towards her and she broke.

"Oliver," she gasped and she felt as if her knees were going out but she somehow managed to stay upright.

He erased the space between them in four long strides. "Felicity, what's wrong?!" he almost growled, but she could hear the fear present in his voice.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come. I should have called, but I didn't know what else to do. I got the call and I just...I needed to do something so I headed to the Foundry but then I saw the exit for your place and I just...I just...Oliver, please, I need your help. She's my goddaughter. _Please..._" Her voice failed her as the tears spilled down her cheeks and she felt herself beginning to fall.

He caught her easily and hauled her to him, her arms unwrapping from around her waist and scrabbling against the warm skin of his back. She pressed her face against his neck and gasped for air as his arms banded about her waist.

"Shh," he soothed her, his fingers coasting up and down her back in a calming pattern.

One of her hands splayed against his skin, feeling the gentle thrum of his heartbeat and she tried to match her breathing to the steady rhythm.

"It's okay. You're okay," he murmured into her hair, and the words stabbed at the guilt that had balled in the pit of her stomach.

"But _she's_ not," Felicity cried, wrenching herself away from him, the idea that she was receiving comfort while her goddaughter was in peril upsetting her further.

The ball of guilt threatened to overwhelm her. She hadn't done anything when she could have - when she _should_ have.

"And it's my fault," she rasped, hands furiously wiping at her cheeks, "It's all my fault. I should have done something. And I didn't...I didn't and now she's gone..."

"Felicity," Oliver rasped, taking careful steps towards her. "Hey, talk to me. You're not making any sense."

The guilt clawed it's way up her throat and she just shook her head, covering her face with her hands. "What if she's dead, Oliver? What if they...oh...God...what if she's d..."

Her knees did give out this time and she braced herself for the feeling of the hard floor, but it never came.

Oliver's strong arms banded about her waist and she felt herself being lifted. She clung to him, her hands grasping the back of his neck, holding on tightly as he began to climb the stairs. The blood rushed into her ears and it was the only thing she could hear.

Instead of fighting him, she pressed her face against his shoulder and tried to calm her erratic breathing. The warmth of his flesh bleed into hers and calmed her. His hands tightened their grasp on her when her breath ghosted over his skin and she swore she felt him shudder when her fingers brushed against the nape of his neck.

A few minutes later, she heard the sound of a door shutting behind them and when she cracked her eyes open, she was surrounded by darkness and Oliver's familiar scent. Setting her down on something soft, he let go and she lifted her eyes to see herself on an expansive bed in an ornately decorated room. One of his hands never left her back as he settled beside her and she let her flats slip off her feet and drew her knees up to her chin. Her ragged, hiccuping breaths slowly began to even out as he ran soothing circles across her back. Occasionally, his fingers would trail up to the nape of her neck and massage the muscles there and she found herself beginning to lean towards him, the exhaustion taking over her body.

"Hey," he finally breathed, and she realized her head was pillowed on his shoulder. "Talk to me."

Felicity took a few more deep, steadying breaths - the sound of his heart beating calmly in her ear and his scent surrounding her providing her with the sense of security she needed.

"My cousins…" she finally began hoarsely, twisting her hands in her lap until Oliver covered them with one of his own. "They live just outside the Glades. For the past week, they've been hearing noises outside of their house - voices calling out in the street. They were never able to see anyone, but Kylie has been terrified every night…"

She let out a ragged breath, the guilt settling heavily back in her stomach. "She called me on Monday. She said she just needed someone to talk to...that she didn't know what to do. She'd called the police and they'd told her unless something had happened they couldn't help. They are already spread too thin...I…"

Her voice broke again and a body-wracking shudder ran through her. Oliver's muscles tensed and she lifted her head from where it rested on his shoulder to look him in the eyes. She saw the questions he wanted to ask and her heart ached even more.

"I wanted to come to you - to ask you for help, but there was so much going on - you were so exhausted and I was too...there was never a good time to bring it up. And now...now it's too late," she whispered, a sob catching in her throat. "And it's all my fault."

Her head fell forward and she tried to get the images of a crying Ellie being taken from her family out of her head.

"No," Oliver's voice was stern when he spoke, and she felt his fingers at the back of her neck while his other hand rose to her chin and tilted her head up so she could look at him.

His eyes held more emotions than she had ever seen. Sadness, regret and heartache stared back at her - the empathy that radiated off him surrounding her.

"Felicity, listen to me. You can't blame yourself," he said, speaking slow and deliberately. "You can't put this on your shoulders...that kind of guilt..."

"But I didn't help when I should have. And now…"

Her voice trailed off as she realized with a start what she needed to be doing. She mentally cursed for wasting so much time again.

"Oh...I have to get to the lair...I have to find her...I have to…Oliver," she turned to face him, eyes pleading. "I know it's a lot...but..."

When his hand cupped her cheek, the words died in her throat. "Of course," he murmured, brows drawing together in confusion. "How could you possibly think you're asking too much? Felicity…"

The world felt like it stopped spinning for a moment as his unfinished sentence hung in the air between them. The timbre of his voice dropped when he said her name and she automatically turned her head into his hand, letting his touch sink into her very bones. His eyes locked on to hers and she understood everything he couldn't say. Relief filled her chest and she threw her arms around him, mumbling 'thank yous' into his neck. Her hands splayed against the warm skin of his back, feeling scar tissue beneath her fingertips and she had a sudden urge to trace them, learn them by feel as she had already memorized them by sight.

Felicity quickly shook those thoughts from her head as she sat back, knowing she'd already wasted too much time. She propelled herself up, only to begin to fall when she realized the bed was farther from the floor than she thought. Oliver caught her easily around the waist and pulled her back against him and she grasped his arm to keep upright.

Her breath was coming in short pants again and she wished she could get control of her emotions. Being a complete wreck wasn't going to help Ellie.

"Hey," he murmured against her hair. "We're going to find her. I promise."

His words were a balm to her battered heart and she nodded as he slipped from behind her and crossed to what she assumed was his closet. A few minutes later, he re-emerged, dressed in jeans and a gray pull-over sweater. In his other hand, he held an old grey hoodie which he handed to her.

She furrowed her brow at him until he explained. "You were shivering earlier when you came in. You don't have a jacket."

Giving him a wobbly smile, she took the offered garment and shrugged it on over her short-sleeves. A wave of Oliver's scent surrounded her and her eyes slipped shut involuntarily as she inhaled deeply, wrapping it tightly around her.

When she opened her eyes, Oliver was staring at her with intense, dark blue eyes that made her shiver. Taking a steadying breath, she tore her eyes away from his, swirls of heat filling her stomach.

After a minute, he held out his hand and she let her fingers slip into his as he quickly led her through the door and down the stairs to the foyer once more where Raisa was waiting for them.

"Is everything alright, Mr. Oliver?" she asked, concern evident in her kind eyes.

He smiled genuinely at her, "It will be. Thank you. Can you let my sister know that I've gone out?"

"Of course," she replied and before she could say anything, Oliver placed his other hand at her back and steered her out the door as he pulled his phone from his pocket.

Within seconds, he was talking to Digg and asked him to meet them at the lair.

Oliver held out his hand, and she frowned before he motioned to her car. Realizing, he wanted her keys, she frowned about to fight him when she saw how badly her hands shook as she tried to produce them from her pocket. Pulling them out, she handed them over, knowing it was probably better that he drive anyway.

With quick, precise movements, Oliver ushered her into the car and closed the door.

When he slid into her tiny mini-cooper, she couldn't stop the small smile that blossomed on her lips at the image he made.

Oliver started the car and they were headed toward the city in minutes. Ignoring most of the speed limits, Oliver easily had them driving down the mostly deserted streets of the Glades toward the Club in ten minutes.

As streets passed, Felicity's mind whirled. She went over and over the last few days and what she could have done differently. Then she moved on to what she knew she needed to do as soon as they reached the Foundry.

Her hands twisted in the fabric of Oliver's hoodie, the sleeves falling down past her hands, and yet, she felt a sense of safety surrounded by something of his.

How he had come to represent such safety to her was beyond something she wasn't quite ready to dwell on at the moment. But he had. A deep part of her wanted nothing more than to be wrapped back up in his arms until all of this just melted away. However, knowing she couldn't do that, having something of his as small as a simple hoodie provided her with more comfort than she was ready to admit.

She didn't realize she was staring at the dark screen of her phone, grasping it until her knuckles turned white, until one of Oliver's hands came into her line of vision and covered hers. Gently, he eased the phone from her fingers and then wove his fingers with hers, squeezing softly.

Glancing over at him, she gave him a watery smile and focused on the comforting feeling of his hand in hers.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** Thank you so much for all your feedback and comments! I'm sorry this took a while to get out - the week got away from me and this was the first night I had the chance to sit down and do some editing. I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Please let me know what you think! :)

* * *

Felicity hadn't realize they'd reached the club until suddenly Oliver's hand slid from her grasp. Looking up, she saw the familiar back parking lot of Verdant and quickly undid her seatbelt. Oliver had the door open before she could reach for the handle and she grabbed his offered hand as she stepped from the car.

She practically ran to the back entrance, but her fingers shook as she tried to punch in the code. After the third try, Oliver caught her trembling hand with his own and gave it a reassuring squeeze as he quickly typed in the code.

He held the door open and she hurried down the stairs, the warmth of his touch lingering on her skin long after she settled at her computers.

Once she was in her chair, she felt some of the fear and trepidation melt away. This was her realm. She found people who didn't want to be found every day for Oliver. She would find Ellie too. In order to keep her emotions under control, she knew she had to keep telling herself that this was no different than any of the other missions she helped Oliver with every night.

Except it _was_ different. It was _her_ family. Her goddaughter. Her Ellie.

With one more deep, centering breath, she let her fingers begin to fly over the keys, pulling up searches, facial recognition scans, police records and scanners. She quickly compiled as much information as she could, including the abducted child report that had already been filed by the SCPD.

She swallowed hard as the picture of Ellie popped up on her screen and she read over the document.

Her eyes slammed shut, her fingers freezing over the keys as she found the 911 call and listened to the frantic sounds of Kylie's voice pleading for help.

A warm hand landed on her shoulder, and instead of jumping, she found herself sinking back in her chair. Oliver's silent presence behind her allowed her to focus as the rest of the recording played out. Towards the end of the call, she felt the tears stinging at her eyes and she quickly swiped it away. Her head tilted to the side as his fingers tightened reassuringly on her shoulder. With her eyes closed, she let her chin rest on the top of his fingers and let out a soft puff of air.

His lips pressed against the side of her head as his voice spoke softly near her ear. "We'll find her, Felicity."

She nodded, blinking back more tears before opening her eyes and turning her head to look at the other screens as they ran their various searches.

The beeping of the door made her jump causing Oliver to step back and to the side as they heard Diggle's heavy footsteps on the metal stairs.

The moment he came into view, Felicity sprang to her feet and rushed to him, wrapping him in a tight hug.

"Thank you for coming," she whispered against his solid form, his large arms engulfing her.

When she stepped back, he held her gaze, brown eyes locking with hers. "Of course."

One of her computer's beeped and she whirled, running back to the desk as she heard Oliver step up to Diggle to fill him in on what had happened.

She let out a frustrated noise when the facial recognition searches of the nearby street cameras came up empty.

She was halfway through starting another search when her cell phone rang. Her eyes widened as she glanced around trying to remember where she'd put her phone only to remember Oliver had taken it from her in the car.

Whirling, she saw him reaching into his back pocket and holding it out to her as he regarded her with a worried expression.

Grabbing the phone, her stomach dropped when she saw the caller ID.

"Ky?" she answered without hesitating, and she could feel both men's steady gazes on her.

"Lis...Ben's out of surgery. He should be okay...but," her cousin trailed off and drew in a ragged breath.

Felicity stilled, straightening as she gripped the phone tightly. 'What? Kylie, what is it?"

She saw Digg and Oliver move closer, reacting immediately to her voice and body language.

"I got a ransom call…" her cousin cried, gasping softly, and Felicity knew she was crying.

Felicity felt her mouth go dry and had to force the next words out, afraid of the answer to her next question.

"What do they want? Is she...Is she okay?" Felicity asked hesitantly, almost jumping when she felt Oliver beside her once more, the heat of his hand hovering over her lower back.

"They want money," Kylie whispered, and she could tell her cousin was fighting to control her emotions as she spoke, "The man...Carter Lowen...he says Ben owes him money, and that this is what happens when people fail to pay him back on time…"

"So Ben borrowed money from him?" Felicity sighed, brows pinching together in confusion.

She heard the tell-tale hitch in Kylie's voice. "I don't know, Lis. Ben never said anything. Why...Why wouldn't he say anything? Or come to me? If things were this bad, we would have figured something out. But now he has our baby…and I don't know what to do..."

Felicity gripped the back of her chair with her free hand, knuckles turning white as she realized for the first time she couldn't hear any of the normal sounds of the hospital in the background.

"Kylie, where are you?" she suddenly asked, fearful of what her cousin might be doing.

"I'm in the parking lot," She answered after a beat, her voice hushed.

"Please tell me you told Officer Lance about the call…" Felicity begged, already knowing she hadn't.

"I can't!" her cousin cried. "He said I had to come alone - that if I told the cops, he'd...he'd…"

Felicity's mouth went dry as her stomach sank and she inhaled sharply. Oliver's hand landed on her elbow and it wasn't until she opened her eyes that she realized he had guided her into her chair.

"I don't know how to even get the money he wants, Lis. It's everything we have left in our saving plus a little more. $20,000. The only thing I can think to do is pawn my wedding ring...I have until 8:30 tonight…"

Her cousin's voice had become more and more frantic and Felicity knew she needed to talk her down and out of what she was planning on doing. At best, it was dangerous; at worst, it was a trap.

"Kylie, I need you to listen to me," she said as calmly as she could, "You need to tell the police. I know what Lowen said, but it's too dangerous…"

She didn't get any farther before the other woman cut her off. "No, he'll kill her, Felicity! I can't! I have to do this by myself. I can't take the risk...she's my baby!"

Hearing the actual words momentarily took her breath away and it was only the feeling of Oliver's hand on her arm that pulled her away from her spiraling thoughts.

"Okay, okay," Felicity soothed, knowing her next idea would draw immediate resistance from both men standing near her, but she didn't have any other choice. "Then let me go with you. I'm not the cops. I'm not letting you do this alone. And I'll help with the money…"

Her eyes flew to Oliver's as she spoke and she saw the immediate tick in his jaw, the fire that flashed through his gaze at her suggestion. Silently, she asked him to back her, pleaded with him to understand that she was doing this under the assumption that he would be there and she trusted him to keep them safe.

With a long exhale, he gave a short nod of his head, and she mouthed a silent thank you.

She heard her cousin begin to protest but she cut her off. "I'm not letting you do this alone, Ky. Let me help."

"Okay," came the soft reply and Felicity sagged in relief.

"Where are you meeting him?" Felicity asked, knowing they would need as much information as possible.

"I don't know," her cousin replied. "He's supposed to call back in an hour to make sure I have the money...I told him I needed a chance to get that much cash together."

Swallowing, Felicity nodded, "Okay. Call me after he contacts you. I'll get the money together…"

"Felicity…" Kylie began, and she heard the absolute fear in her cousin's voice.

"We'll get her back, Ky," she whispered hoarsely. "We will…"

"Thank you, Lis," she replied and then she hung up.

Ending the call, Felicity sank back into the chair, trembling hands covering her face as she tried to suppress the sob caught in her throat.

A moment later, she felt her chair being turned and then a gentle pressure on her jean-clad knee. When she moved her hands, she blinked open her eyes to find Oliver kneeling in front of her, blue eyes filled with concern.

"Hey," he murmured, his fingers moving back and forth over the top of her knee and she focused on the warmth of his touch to offset the cold dread that had spread through her body while she talked to her cousin. "It's going to be okay."

She nodded her head as he repeated the words she'd just spoken to her cousin only this time she believed them a bit more. Taking a deep breath, she wiped away a few of the tears that had spilled down her cheeks.

"How much do you need?" he asked, and Felicity looked at him in confusion.

"The ransom," he explained, and her eyes widened.

"Oh, no, Oliver. I have money in the bank…" Her voice trailed off, moving to look at her computer screens and briefly began to calculate the amount she knew she had in savings trying to figure out if she needed to make any transactions within her stock portfolio.

Oliver's hands came to lay over hers on her keyboard and she looked up into slightly annoyed eyes. He opened his mouth, but she shook her head.

"I may not be a billionaire, but I can handle this," she ground out, her eyes flashing in indignation.

That quick flare of emotion broke down the small wall she'd put up to keep herself in check since she and Oliver had left the Queen mansion. She felt the tightness ease into her chest, a ball in her throat making her swallow thickly. Tears pricked at her eyes and she quickly turned back to look at her screens although they blurred in front of her.

She pulled in a deep, ragged breath, her eyes falling shut when Oliver's forefinger grazed under her chin directing her gaze back to him.

"Hey," he whispered softly, and the soft tone of his voice made her open her eyes. "He's not going to get his hands on it anyway. Let me help with this."

Seeing the determination in his eyes, she knew she wasn't going to win this battle. Nodding, she sighed and gave him a small smile in thanks.

"We're going to get her back," Oliver whispered vehemently, his face closer than it had been moments prior. His eyes held a promise and it made a rush of warmth pass through her.

"$20,000" she said hoarsely, and watched as Oliver nodded, looking over her shoulder to Digg.

The other man nodded and grabbed his coat, heading for the stairs. She didn't have to ask to know he was going after the money.

"What else do we know?" Oliver asked after returning his gaze to her, his forefinger moving up to catch an errant tear on her cheek and wipe it away.

The action caused her breath to stutter, her mouth opening into an o shape as she gasped. She saw his eyes flick down to her lips and then back up to her eyes and watched in surprise as they darkened minutely.

Swallowing, she tried to focus on his question and not the sudden warmth spreading throughout her body. "The man's name is Carter Lowen. Ben apparently borrowed money from him and didn't pay it back on time. Kylie had no idea they were in that much financial trouble…Apparently this guy doesn't like people to be late with their payments."

Oliver frowned at the name, his eyes narrowing and Felicity watched him as he tried to place it.

Pulling away from him, Felicity turned her computers and typed the name into one of her searches.

The information that popped up on her screen made her stomach churn. She felt the waves of tension coming from Oliver as he read over her shoulder and tried to keep her composure.

"She's not even two, Oliver," she said, her voice cracking with effort. "If anything happens to her…"

She swallowed around a sob and was surprised when she felt him press a kiss against her temple.

Somehow his touch centered her, giving her comfort and strength all at once. Taking a deep breath, she reached her hand up, covering his where it lay on her shoulder and squeezed it tightly in silent thanks.

Oliver froze behind her, his hand releasing her shoulder to wrap around her fingers.

A fluttering erupted in her chest as she tried to tamp down on the feelings that rose within her.

The ringing of her phone interrupted the charged moment between them, and she fumbled, reaching for where she'd set her phone on the desk.

Answering it with trembling fingers, she felt Oliver step back, but his hand never left her shoulder.

Her cousin sounded just as terrified as she had earlier. She put the phone on speaker so Oliver could hear the location and details.

With a shaky voice, Kylie told Felicity the directions Lowen had given her. Time and place, along with another warning about no police and coming alone.

Oliver's jaw ticked as he heard the location - a warehouse by the docks - and she could see his mind already sifting through any information he knew about the area.

"Kylie," she said after a moment of hesitation, "I really think you should tell Officer Lance about this. They've dealt with things like this before, and…"

"No!" Came the instant reply, and she could hear her cousin's hysteria. "Lis, I can't take that chance. You said you'd help me but if you're backing out…"

It was Felicity turn to shake her head, "No, Ky, I'm not going anywhere. I just thought that maybe he could help."

"Lis, please, this is Ellie," she cried into the phone, "If anything happened to her because I didn't do what he asked, I'd never forgive myself."

Felicity sighed heavily, rubbing her hands over her face, but she softly agreed.

After reassuring her cousin once more and telling her she'd meet her a few blocks away from the hospital just before 8 PM, she hung up.

Felicity wasted no time in pulling up the schematics of the warehouse and the surrounding area. Oliver rolled over another chair and together they looked over every layout Felicity could get her hands on.

She didn't realize how much time had passed until the door beeping alerted them to the fact that Diggle had returned.

Oliver quickly filled him in on what they knew and he immediately shook his head, not liking the set up.

When her phone rang again, she turned it over to see Quentin Lance's name appear on her screen. With a sharp breath, she answered it on the third ring, Diggle and Oliver coming to stand behind her.

"Detective Lance?" she greeted, her voice shakier than she would have liked, still unable to address him as anything else but the title he deserved.

"Ms. Smoak," he greeted. "From the sound of your voice, I would say you already know why I'm calling."

Felicity swallowed , nodding her head until she realized she needed to actually speak. "Yes. My cousin..."

"So how long ago did she get the ransom call?" he asked without preamble, and she couldn't say she was shocked that he'd figured it out.

"About two hours ago," she replied, without hesitation. "A man by the name of Carter Lowen."

At the name, Lance let out a soft curse. "He's a scumbag we were trying to track down before half the city fell," he explained, with an edge to his voice. "Now, he has even more opportunities to find the most needy people, and we don't have an extra man or unit to go after him. He's gotten even more ruthless knowing that we haven't moved on him in and his operations since the events in the Glades."

Felicity let out a shuddering breath and bit her bottom lip. Everything seemed to come back to the Undertaking, and the guilt inside her intensified. If she had just been able to find that second device…

"Ms. Smoak?" Lance's voice in her ear made her jump, and she quickly continued with her story, pulling on all the mental reserves she had to not let her emotions get the better of her.

"Apparently my cousin-in-law borrowed some money from him and didn't pay it back on time. He wants the money in exchange for Ellie."

While she managed to get through all of that with more confidence than she felt, Oliver's eyes bored into her and a shiver ran down her spine.

"I'm honestly a little surprised our mutual friend hasn't already taken care of this - that it even got to this point," Lance said pointedly.

His words stung, her eyes slamming shut. Her stomach churned with the knowledge that she'd known something was wrong and hadn't done enough to help.

"He didn't know," she gasped, and through the stirrings of panic and absolute guilt that spread like wildfire through her, she felt a hand land reassuringly on her knee. "I didn't say anything. It has been a long week and there just never seemed to be a good time. It's all my fault…"

The man sighed on the other end of the line, "Ms. Smoak, I didn't mean to imply...this is not your fault. If it's your fault, it's also the Police Department's fault for not having more men to put out there and it's Malcolm Merlyn's fault for destroying half the city in the first place. So let's not start placing blame. Let's focus on getting the little girl back safely…"

Swallowing thickly, she managed a stronger, "Thank you," Opening her eyes to find a glaring Oliver in front of her looking as if he was about to take the phone away from her and give the Detective a piece of his own mind.

Her murmured thanks seemed to quell some of that anger, but she could still see the tell-tale tick of his jaw, and reached down to cover his hand on her knee with her own.

"So where does Lowen want the drop to be made?' Lance asked and Felicity immediately bristled.

"My cousin doesn't want the police involved," she said fiercely. "He said he'd kill Ellie if she didn't come without them. I talked her into letting me go with her."

"And I suppose he'll be there as well," Lance questioned and Felicity immediately knew he was talking about the Arrow.

"Yes," she stated, looking up at Oliver through her lashes and giving him a thankful smile.

The former detective let out a grunt of acknowledgement. "What if it's just me? I'll come, park a few blocks away, just in case you need some back up. I can call in the rest of the cavalry when the girl has been secured."

Listening to his proposal, Felicity worried her bottom lip between her teeth and felt Oliver's fingers dig into her skin slightly. She glanced up and found dark eyes watching her with concern mixed with something else that she couldn't quite define but it sent sparks of heat tumbling through her.

After a few moments, Lance spoke again. "Just so you know, I'm not giving you a choice here. I'll be there regardless. This is my case, Ms. Smoak...I'm legally responsible for getting that little girl back to her parents."

Her lips pulled up at his obvious concern for her goddaughter and she agreed.

When she looked back at Oliver, he even seemed to be okay with the idea of Lance nearby which only furthered her belief that they had reached some form of understanding in the months since Oliver had been back. She knew their tolerance for each other stemmed mostly from Sara Lance's sudden arrival back in Starling City a few month ago, but Felicity knew it had been growing before then. Slowly, Lance was coming to see that Oliver just might be the hero she kept telling him he was.

Agreeing to call him when it was closer to the drop off time, or if anything else came up, Felicity thumbed off her phone and sagged back into her chair.

She heard Diggle mention something about coffee and being right back before the door beeped and then it was just her and Oliver in the Foundry again.

Oliver was still hovering in front of her, his hand was still clasped tightly in hers, but she didn't notice until she felt the sensation of his thumb trailing over the underside of her knee. Her body reacted to the sensation, eyes flying open and landing on him, head tilting to the side as she tried to read the myriad of emotions running through his dark blue eyes.

"Thank you," she finally whispered, breaking the silent moment between them.

"For what?" he asked, forehead wrinkling with confusion, and it recalled to mind another moment with the same words spoken after The Count had taken her hostage.

"For helping me with this. For helping Kylie and Ellie…" Her voice trembled and his eyes softened, his hand releasing her knee and landing on her cheek.

The pad of his thumb brushed over her cheekbone, swiping back and forth with gentle strokes until she began to lean into his touch, her body yearning to be closer to him and the safety and security he gave to her.

"I wish you would have come to me earlier," he admitted, voice low and gravelly, causing her own breath to catch in her throat. "I don't care what we were in the middle of, I would have found the time to help you. I'd do anything…"

His words trailed off and she pulled in a deep breath as his thumb stilled on her cheek.

"All you ever have to do is ask, Felicity…"

His words ghosted over her skin, his face closer than it had been moments prior. Her eyes fell to his lips, and not for the first time, she imagined what they would feel like pressed against her own.

Snapping her eyes shut, she tried to regain control of her wandering thoughts - her mind having seemingly run wild with the constant worry coursing through her.

"Thank you," she murmured again, this time, closing her hand around his wrist and gently rubbing a finger over his pulse point.

He pulled away a few minutes later, and she reluctantly let him go, knowing it was a good decision for both of them. Her emotions were raised and fraying at the edges with everything going on, and she was starting to let herself believe there was more to Oliver's concern and touches than that of a friend.

While Oliver wandered over to the table with his arrows, Felicity began a facial recognition search on Carter Lowen. She knew it would probably be fruitless, but she had to do something. A glance at the clock on her screen told her it was only a little after ten in the morning.

Ten more hours. Ten hours to wait and hope and pray that little Ellie was okay.

The ball of anxiety in her stomach continued to grow and nothing she seemed to do helped to settle it. Even when Digg returned with coffee from her favorite shop and donuts - the filled ones that were her favorite - she barely tasted any of it.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you so much for all the lovely feedback for this story! I hope you enjoy the next chapter! Big thanks to anthfan for looking this over for me. As always, I love to hear what you think. Thanks again so much. :)

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By one in the afternoon, she was a verifiable wreck. The trembling in her hands hand only gotten worse, but she continued to scour the databases for anything she could on Lowen. If they could find him before the ransom drop, Oliver might be able to surprise them and they could get Ellie home sooner.

Her searches yielded nothing, and finally a frustrated noise fell from her lips as she pushed up and away from her computers, her chair sliding backwards across the slick concrete floor.

Stalking towards the training area, she wrapped her arms around her middle and began pacing. Back and forth until she was sure there was the beginning of a groove in the floor. All she could think about was Ellie all alone and terrified, crying out for her mom and dad. At one point, her treacherous mind heard the small girls voice scream her own name, and a gasp fell from her lips.

When she felt a warm hand on her arm, she jumped, eyes she didn't realized had closed flying open to find Oliver hovering in front of her, worried expression on his face.

Glancing around, she frowned when she didn't see Digg, and Oliver answered her unasked question. "He went out to get something else to eat and do some recon on the location."

She let out frustrated groan, "I feel so useless right now. Anything could be happening to her and all we can sit here and do is wait."

Her hands gestured wildly with each word and Oliver took a step back before catching her flailing arms at the wrists and bringing them to rest on his chest.

She froze the second her fingers touched bare skin and she wondered when he'd removed his shirt or how she hadn't heard him training. Her fingers contracted involuntarily over on his warm skin and she felt his muscles tense beneath her touch.

Swallowing, she flicked her gaze up to his. "Come here," he eventually said, his voice an octave lower than she expected.

She frowned but said nothing as he led her with one hand over to glass case where his leather suit hung along side his bow. With deft grace, he strapped on his quiver and grabbed his bow.

Her confusion heightened as he stopped them both in front of the target he used for practice.

"Oliver…"

Felicity's voice came out as a raspy whisper and she blamed it on his sudden shirtless proximity.

When he held out the bow to her, her eyes widened and she knew she was looking at him as if he had just suggest she don the hood and suit herself.

"You need to focus on something. This will help," he stated evenly, like it was the easiest answer.

"Shooting your bow and possibly taking out some of the very expensive equipment I just replaced in here will help me focus?" she asked incredulously. "I might be good with my hands, Oliver, but I'm not sure I should try that."

It was his turn to arch an eyebrow at her, and she willed her cheeks not to blush as she breathed deeply through her nose. "You know what I mean…"

"Trust me," Oliver replied with a downward tilt of his head.

She sighed and narrowed her eyes at him before nodding. "I'm pretty sure we've already covered the 'i trust you with my life' portion of this conversation many times."

Felicity meant for her words to lighten, but she saw the weight and depth to which they hit the man in front of her. Blue eyes darkened and that same look he gave her whenever she said something that took him completely off-guard washed over his face.

She said nothing, letting the small uptick of her lips and her own eyes speak for her.

When he held out the bow, she took it, the weight not completely foreign in her hands. After specially designing and ordering the bow for Oliver, she'd inspected it herself, even tried to shoot it when Digg wasn't around and only barely managing to hit the edge of the target.

Taking a deep breath, she felt Oliver slide around behind her, one hand on her hip and the other on her elbow as he helped her get the right stance.

Needing to do something to keep her mind off the heat of him soaking through her thin t-shirt, the pads of his fingers burning into her hip where he touched her, she began to speak.

"I tried to do this once," she said, sucking in a breath when his shifted a bit closer and his breath ghosted over her shoulder. "When you were gone...I just got the bow and I wanted to see if it actually worked. I knew Digg would have protested so I waited until he was gone, and well, let's just say, I should stick to my day job so if this goes badly, you've been warned…"

"Felicity." His name rolled off his lips, halting her words, and she heard the strained undercurrent, clamping her lips tightly together.

"You need to breathe," he told her and she realized quickly that she hadn't taken a breath since starting her ramble.

His hands moved from her hips to her shoulders, heat spinning against her skin wherever he touched. His fingers moved, trying to get the tension she'd been carrying around all day to loosen. Following his own deep even breaths, she followed their rhythm. She took a deep breath and another and another, until she felt her body relaxing back into his.

With her back flush against his, she could feel the pounding of his heart, the steady, strong thrum a comfort to her. When her body shifted, she felt the rate change, increasing ever so slightly.

"Good," he rasped next to her ear, and a swirl of heat spread through her, all of her focus tunneling down to Oliver and the feel of him pressed up against her.

His fingers trailed from her shoulders and down her arms to her wrists, moving her fingers to the proper holds. Hands that she'd seen inflict so much damage now touched hers with such gentleness, and yet she felt the undeniable strength in each digit, running all the way through his body.

With a sudden clarity she realized she was cocooned within his arms, and she had never felt more at ease, a rush of comfort running through her veins.

Oliver dropped his hands to her hips once more and gently prodded her to move her hips backwards, aligning with his, and she bit down on her bottom lip, her nerve-endings fritzing with all the sparks that each of his touches evoked.

His hands left her waist for seconds before they were back, arrow pulled from his quiver as he positioned it within her hands. She nocked it as she'd seen him do countless times before, and covering her hand with his own, together they gently pulled the string taut.

"Breathe," he told her, his body almost cradling her and she was having trouble focusing on anything but the way he felt pressed up against her.

She could feel the hard muscle of him, and wanted nothing more than to lean into him completely and feel his arms wrapped completely around her. Remembering the feel of him from this morning, the way her head felt pressed against his chest as she fell apart, she shuddered.

The stuttered breath he let out against her neck let her know he was struggling too.

"Listen to your heartbeat, even out your breaths, and aim," the low rasp of his voice was almost too much, and it sounded strained to her own ears.

Trying hard to focus all of her nervous energy, all the nerves fluttering around in her body at Oliver's proximity, she breathed in and out. Closing her eyes, she listened to her heartbeat, even at it's slightly elevated state. With Oliver pressed firmly behind her, a solid weight at her back, she began to relax even further. Once again, she matched her breathing to his, until everything seemed to melt away and everything was Oliver and the bow in her hand which suddenly felt as if it was an extension of herself.

"Now open your eyes and let go," he breathed, and she did.

The sound of the arrow filled her ears as it flew through the arrow and buried itself into the target opposite her. Two inches from the center.

Her eyes widened as she looked at what she'd done, a slow smile spreading on her face.

Tipping her head backwards, a swoop of heat sailed through her when she found Oliver staring back at her with an intensity she had never before seen directed at her. His eyes were swimming with unspoken emotions, and as she looked for the walls he normally kept up to keep people out, she saw none of them. He was open - completely and freely - to her.

She searched his face, skimming over the sharp definition of his jawline and brow before landing on his lips. Her gaze flickered back to his eyes and she realized they were almost completely black, a light ring of blue surrounding them.

"Oliver," she breathed and she heard the way his breath caught in his chest as he pulled air into his lungs.

For a few brief moments, his eyes dropped to her mouth and she felt her heart skip a beat as time seemed to stand still.

The distant beeping of her phone broke the moment and she felt his body deflate, his head falling forward to rest against hers. His breath fanned against her face and she swallowed, realizing she was turned in his arms, the bow somehow now in his hands behind her and the desire to lean up on her toes and kiss him almost more than she could take.

When her phone beeped again, she began to pull away, knowing she needed to find out who was texting her.

Before she could completely pull away, Oliver tightened his hold on her hips and pressed a hot kiss to her temple that left her gasping for breath.

"Good job." The words whispering across her skin and a dash of pride filled her at the compliment.

Squeezing her hips once more, he backed away and turned, but not before she saw the look in his eyes and knew that if she pulled him back, he wouldn't have as much control.

On slightly wobbly legs, she crossed to the space to her desk, taking several deep breaths and realizing that despite the heated moment that left a coil of heat low in her belly, her hands no longer shook and the nervous energy that she had earlier been unable to shake had dissipated.

Reaching for her phone, she typed in her passcode and opened the first text message. Seeing it was from her cousin, she expected an update on her cousin-in-law.

She didn't expect to find a picture of Ellie, clothes slightly disheveled and dirty, crying as she sat in a plain, white play pen, reaching out for someone - anyone - who would hold her.

Beneath the picture was a message.

_If you want to see your precious child again, make sure to follow directions._

Felicity wasn't sure what sound left her lips, but her legs gave out and she grasped for the edge of the desk, knowing she would soon feel the cold concrete beneath her.

Before she could hit the ground, Oliver was there, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into him.

Her breath came out in short gasps and he pried the phone out of her fingers in order to see what had made her so upset.

Felicity pressed her head into the crook of his shoulder as he looked at the phone. She felt him tense beneath her, cursing under his breath as a low growl rumbled in his chest.

Raising her hands to her face, she tried to drag in ragged breaths, her throat clogging with tears.

Ellie was alone and scared, reaching out for someone she loved and there was no one there. The guilt rushed back in, slamming into her chest so hard it made it even harder to breath.

Felicity felt herself being lifted and then set down on soft cushions and knew Oliver had moved her to the couch. His hands ran over her head, down the side of her face, and then his voice was next to her ear.

"Hey, we're going to get her back," he soothed. "I promise. Trust me. We're going to get her back. This _isn't_ your fault."

His quiet voice allowed her to focus on calming her erratic breathing and slowly she sank forward and into his arms once more seeking the comfort she knew he could provide her.

Tucking her head against his neck, she breathed in his scent, her arms wrapping tightly around his back, her fingers meeting warm flesh. She wasn't sure how long she stayed like that, but at some point, she felt Oliver shift. He didn't let her go while he moved to sit beside her, and she ended up half in his lap as he held her close, his calloused fingers continued to sift through her hair and down over her shoulder.

His breath was warm against her skin, the steady even rhythm calming her and her eyelids began to droop.

She kept fighting it, blinking bleary eyes open, knowing she couldn't sleep while Ellie was out there. She should be doing something even though technically she knew there was nothing to be done. Her searches were running, they would alert her if they found anything. The money was secured and in their possession and Diggle would be back soon with more information on the area.

She briefly wondered why Oliver hadn't gone himself. He usually liked to check out places on his own, learn the surroundings and escape routes with his own eyes.

The question escaped her lips before she could stop it. "Why didn't you go instead of Digg? Usually, it's you who goes on those…" she mumbled, her voice heavy and low and tongue thick with sleep.

His chest rose and fell beneath her as he pulled in a breath before speaking. "Digg is more than capable of doing it," he said quietly but she knew he was hedging the actual subject. "And I didn't want to leave you."

Felicity sucked in a deep breath, freezing in his arms as his words echoed in her ears.

"Oh," was all she could manage, a yawn escaping.

Her eyes slipped shut again, and she jolted herself awake once more.

"Sleep," Oliver whispered against her temple, his lips grazing her skin and leaving pinpoints of heat.

"But Ellie...I should…" she began to protest only to be silenced by Oliver.

"You've done everything you can right now. All we can do right now is wait, and I know you barely got any sleep last night. At least close your eyes, and rest."

She swallowed thickly, tears welling in her eyes once more, and she hated how much she'd already cried in front of him today.

"Felicity, rest," he commanded softly, and she let out a ragged breath, her body slumping more heavily against his and let her eyes slip shut.

She felt Oliver's hand run down her head once more, and come to rest on her lower back, dangerously close to the hem of her thin t-shirt. Felicity was firmly wrapped in Oliver Queen's arms and she hadn't remembered a time when she'd felt safer.

One of her hands splayed against his chest, once again reminding herself that her cheek was pressed against his skin, her fingers tracing over where she knew his Bratva tattoo was inked.

At some point, she felt Oliver's head lean against her own.

That was how Diggle found them a half an hour later when he returned. Through her hazy half-awake, half-asleep state, she heard the beep of the door code and his distant footsteps coming down the metal stairs.

Knowing she should lift her head, she shifted slightly, but couldn't make herself pull herself away from the warmth and comfort of Oliver's solid form.

His hand stirred on her lower back, flexing against her skin and she realized at some point his fingers had slipped beneath the tee-shirt she wore. She felt him sigh against her and cuddled into his warmth.

His adam's apple bobbed against her forehead and she felt his head lift from her own, and then the muscles tense.

Her brow furrowed, and she began to move, her hand trailing up his chest to curve around the base of his neck and pull herself up, biting back a protest at the loss of his heat against her cheek.

At first, his arms refused to give, keeping close so instead of moving, she tilted her head and opened her still-tired eyes. She found Diggle, arms crossed, face set into a hard line, not giving away anything, except the amused twinkle in his eyes.

Oliver and he were locked in a silent battle, and she realized that she was still very much wrapped up in a half-naked Oliver's arms.

With a soft squeak, Felicity pushed gently against Oliver's chest and this time his arms gave, but instead of just taking his hands away, they slackened and drug slowly against her as she leaned away sending sparks of heat everywhere they touched.

"I brought food," Diggle finally said, breaking the silence and turning away from them but not before she saw the small smirk that appeared on his lips.

Letting out a deep breath, she began to stretch, arching her back to work out her muscles. It wasn't until she heard a low growl from Oliver's throat that she realized she was still very close to Oliver, and that one hand was still splayed low on her back. When she glanced up, catching Oliver's eyes, she gasped softly as she took in his pupils blown wide, and dark with desire. Warmth curled low in her belly and she had to work hard to fight the urge she had to sink back against him. His thumb trailed slow, tantalizing circles on her back and she sucked in a deep breath tilting her head to the side when she saw something else flash through his eyes, something that made her heart flutter.

Diggle loudly began to open the bags of takeout he'd brought, bringing them out of their moment.

With resignation, she finally pulled completely away from him, standing on slightly weak knees and made her way over to where Diggle was laying out the food.

She felt Oliver's eyes on her the entire time, and her cheeks flushed, John glancing at her out of the corner of his eye when she approached and she flashed him a warning look.

He smiled, popping a fry into his mouth, but said nothing.

As soon as Oliver joined them, Diggle began to go over what he'd learned and everything came rushing back to Felicity.

Her stomach churned when she realized for a brief few minutes on that couch with Oliver, Ellie hadn't been on the forefront of her mind.

When Oliver's hand slid over hers where she was slowly turning a french fry into mush, she inhaled sharply, and looked up, locking eyes with him. She saw the knowing look on his face and knew he could tell she was feeling guilty once again. If there was anyone who was an expert on carrying around guilt, it was Oliver Queen.

"Stop blaming yourself," he said, to which Diggle nodded his agreement. "We're going to get her back."

Felicity dropped her head and gave a small nod. "I just feel so helpless."

"Which is exactly what Lowen wants," Diggle pointed out.

She knew he was right and gave each of them a small smile of thanks.

"You are far from helpless, Felicity," Diggle added. "And Lowen isn't going to know what hit him when we're done."

That put a bigger smile on her face and she reached over, giving Diggle's muscular arm a gentle squeeze.

The rest of the afternoon passed slowly. Felicity passed the time by reviewing the layouts and the plan over and over until Oliver finally laid his hands on her shoulders and directed her away from the computers screens.

She shot him a glare, but it had no effect.

At seven, Oliver was already in his green leather, heading for the rack where his bow and quiver hung. Diggle was nearby checking over his own weapons.

When Felicity approached them with two their comms links, she glanced at them as she started to speak.

"I have one for Lance too," she said evenly, knowing Oliver wouldn't necessarily like it. "You need to make sure it gets to him," she gave him a pointed look.

Oliver held her gaze for a moment before nodding, pocketing the other small device.

She took a deep breath before speaking again, knowing they weren't going to like this part. "But I won't have one," she explained and held up her hand when Oliver opened his mouth, eyes already blazing.

"I can't take the risk that they'll check for that, Oliver. They said no police so they will probably check for a mic which means they might find the comm. If anything would happen because I had that on me…" She paused, taking in a deep breath, before continuing, looking back to the two concerned men in front of her. "I won't take that chance."

Diggle was the first one to nod, and she sent him a look of thanks. Oliver, she could tell, still didn't like the idea.

"She's right, man," Diggle turned to him. "He'll check. You know that. She has the tracker in her phone if anything happens..."

The muscle in his jaw twitched but he finally gave a slight nod.

"She stays in our sights at all times," he said through clenched deep, his voice so low it caused heat to swirl through her. He and Diggle shared a look and she knew there was no one else she'd rather have at her back than these two.

Turning away, she headed to her desk to grab her coat and make sure everything else was set up. She knew he was behind her before she even reached her chair.

When he spoke, his voice was softened, almost worried. Turning, she bit back a gasp at how close he truly was, and the look in his blue eyes.

"I need you to promise me you'll be safe," he murmured, intense gaze locked on hers. "Promise me that if anything goes wrong…"

Her heart clenched at the way his face fell, his eyes pleading with her. Even though he knew she wouldn't leave without her goddaughter, he also needed her to be safe.

Lifting her hand, she laid it softly against his cheek, surprised at the level of comfort and closeness she felt in this simple action.

When his head shifted ever so much into her palm, she felt a physical pull in her chest, and bit down on her bottom lip.

"You'll be there," she whispered, "How can I not be safe?"

She tried for lightness but when his eyes slammed shut wondered if she'd made a mistake. "I won't leave without her, Oliver," she said after a minute of silence, and he nodded, knowingly.

Her gaze dropped and she saw the mask he grasped in one of his hands. With a small smile, she slipped her fingers from his face and gently took it from him.

Oliver's eyes opened, brows pinched into a frown, until she reached up and carefully slipped it on his head. Her fingers easily maneuvered it until it was situated and then skimmed around the edges of it much like she had the first time she'd place it on him, and so many times since then. But this felt different - her heart beat loud in her head as she tried, in vain, to calm it. His eyes bore into hers, holding them captive and she found she didn't want to try to escape. Not from him. Never from him.

Her fingertips slipped down his cheeks to his jaw, running through the stubble, watching as his eyes grew darker by the second behind the mask. When she reached his neck, she slid her hands back to his hood, grasping the edges and pulling it up over his head.

There was a small crook to his lips as she straightened the fabric around his face, but he said nothing and neither did she.

Finally, she let her arms fall back to her sides, and felt his breath ghost over her forehead as he let out a long ragged breath.

"Be safe," he murmured, in a voice so soft she wasn't sure he'd actually said it.

Her reply caught in her throat as she felt the warm press of his lips against her forehead, lingering there until she closed her eyes, letting his scent and feel surround her.

When she opened her eyes, he was gone.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** I'm so glad you guys are continuing to enjoy this story. I was blown away by the response to the last chapter! Thanks so much for your continued support! Please let me know what you think, I love to hear your comments! Thanks again!

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Part of Felicity knew, he'd left the Foundry so quickly for his own sanity as much as hers. They'd been crossing lines today - flirting with emotions that had been lying just below the surface for so long. She knew she needed a little space in order to focus herself for what she was about to do. There could be no mistakes. The other part of her wanted him to be by her side right now and not leave it until absolutely necessary.

Closing her eyes, she shook her head and then grabbed her phone from her desk. She quickly texted Kylie before going over everything in her head once more as she pulled on the hoodie she'd borrowed from Oliver earlier in the day.

Diggle reappeared a few moments later, holding out the coat he'd picked up from her apartment and a bag which she knew held the ransom money. She stared at the bag, knowing it was more than she'd ever carried or seen in actual cash before in her life. It wasn't until Diggle gently touched her shoulder and gave her an encouraging nod that she reached out and took it from him.

Silently, they walked up the stairs, his strong presence a comfort at her back. She could feel Oliver watching her as she climbed in her car, and knew if she looked up, she would see the outline of him perched on a nearby rooftop. It gave her a sense of peace and confidence knowing he would be with her through this whole thing.

As she drove, she steeled her nerves, all her thoughts tunneling down to Ellie and making sure they got her back, safe and sound.

Diggle followed closely until she arrived at the hospital. Kylie insisted they drive her car just in case Lowen had done his homework and knew it. She didn't want to take any risks. Felicity complied although she could almost hear the disapproval from Diggle and Oliver because her car had a tracker, Kylie's didn't. It was too old of a make and model to even have a GPS installed. She quickly sent both men a text to let them know, but neither answered. As they pulled away from the hospital, Felicity saw Diggle hang back, but stayed closed enough to always have her in his sights.

She realized quickly that she didn't like not being in communication with them. There was something unsettling about not being able to hear Oliver and Diggle's voices in her ear.

Kylie was a bundle of nerves and she could tell she'd been crying most of the day. Her eyes were red and puffy, her clothes rumpled and askew.

She began to talk as soon as they got in the car, rambling about everything and anything until Felicity reached over and took her hand.

"We're going to get her back," she declared, her voice strong and sure.

Kylie looked over at her with wide eyes, "Thank you, Lis. I don't know...I don't know what I would do without you."

The guilt she'd managed to push away filled her again in one fail swoop. "Ky, you shouldn't thank me. I didn't...When you first told me about this, I should have made the police listen, I should have looked into it more, O…"

Realizing what she was about to say, she clamped her mouth shut. Kylie squeezed her hand, and when she chanced a glance in her direction, her cousin was shaking her head in confusion.

"Lis, you couldn't have done anything more than I could," she said, "And you did try to call your friend in the police. What you're doing now...this is more than I should be asking you to do."

Felicity shook her head firmly. "No," she sputtered. "No, this is the least I can do, Ky. I'm not letting you do this by yourself."

She gave her cousin a thin smile, trying to swallow the bile in her throat as her mind flashed with everything she could have done. Ellie might never have been in this situation if she'd just told Oliver earlier.

Oliver's voice echoed in her mind, gently telling her that none of this was her fault. But the guilt was overwhelming and she felt that heavy weight settling on her shoulders.

As they approached the dock yards, she quickly schooled her features and pushed everything to the back of her mind. She needed to focus. The only thing that mattered right now was getting Ellie back.

Everything was dark and eerily quiet as they pulled onto the deserted streets. Felicity found herself searching the rooftops and shadows for his silhouette as she drove the route to the specified warehouse.

As they turned the last corner, she felt a familiar feeling wash over her and immediately knew he was nearby. Swallowing past the lump forming in her throat, she released a breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

Knowing John had stopped following them after the last turn into the dock yards, she once again wished she had her comm link in when she saw the three black vehicles parked in front of the large building.

She heard Kylie suck in a surprised breath and shot her a look of reassurance - as much as she could muster - before sending a silent prayer that Ellie was okay.

Once the engine was shut off, she could hear Kylie's soft sobs and knew the strain of the day had caught up to her cousin. Unbuckling her seatbelt, she motioned for them to get out of the car together, reaching for the bag of money in the back seat as she did.

The muted and distant din of the city was all they could hear after the car doors slammed shut behind them. She could feel Oliver's presence and it gave her more courage than she knew she possessed as a man she instantly recognized as Lowen stepped out of one of the cars, two heavily armed men flanking him.

"I told you to come alone, Ms. Barton," he called threateningly.

When Kylie only jumped, Felicity spoke up, just a hint of trepidation in her voice. "I'm her cousin. She called me to borrow money...I made her bring me."

Lowen's eyes locked onto her, and as he came closer, she could feel his eyes traveling up her body.

"Well, well," he crowed, as he nodded to one of the men at his side, and before Felicity could stop him, he had stepped up into her personal space, his hands trailing over her body and she knew he was looking for a wire. Following his hand was a radio-signal device, and she was thankful she'd made the call to not wear the comm link.

Gritting her teeth, she ignored the way the man was rougher than necessary - how his hands inched a little too close to the underside of her breasts. Her hand shot out to stop him, instincts and training from Digg setting in. She slapped him away with one sudden movement. She saw his grinning leer and set her jaw, refusing to let him see her scared or affected in any way.

"She's clean," he called back towards Lowen a moment later, and stepped back, his eyes taking one more travel down her body. "And feisty."

She thought she heard a low growl from somewhere in the shadows but she couldn't be sure.

Steadying herself, she took a deep breath. "We brought your money. Where's my goddaughter."

Lowen was close enough she could see the sharp smile that cut across his face. "Your goddaughter? She's unharmed. Just as I promised, as long as you have all the money."

"We do," she replied quickly, holding out the bag that Diggle had given her. "It's all there."

The same man who had checked her for a wire grabbed the bag from her hand as Lowen spoke. "Forgive me if I don't take your word for it."

Felicity waited, barely daring to breathe, as the two men looked through the money. She tried to use the time to look around, Oliver and Diggle's words echoing in her ears about always searching for escape routes and making sure to know how many people are around at all times.

She knew there was a driver and possibly two other men in the cars, but the windows were too dark to tell for sure. The street they had just come from was a dead end if you kept going past the turn, and when she looked towards the alleys, they were dark and shadowy - not the best place to run, but they would work if needed.

Her eyes fell to the building, noticing for the first time another man perched by a door. Her heart sped up at the thought of Ellie being so close, in that warehouse, fifty feet away.

When Lowen started moving towards her, she bristled, and her gaze immediately flew to him, taking him in with each step. He was taller than she first though, sandy blonde hair slicked back, leering smile plastered on his face. She raised her chin, staring him down, trying hard to keep the fear at bay.

He reached out a hand, his fingers stroking down her cheek. "How badly do you want your god-daughter back, I wonder?" he asked, and there was no question as to what he was implying.

Her stomach churned, but she steeled herself, swallowing the bile in her throat. "We gave you the money. Where's Ellie?"

Her voice shook slightly despite her effort to keep it steady. Her fingers twisted tightly into fists at her side, and she once again wished she had Oliver and Diggle in her ear.

"Safe," was all he replied, eyes slowly traversing the slopes of her body.

"It's all here, boss," a man behind him called, and Felicity let her shoulders fall when his hand moved away from her cheek and he took a step back.

"Good," he said, turning then to Kylie. "Glad to see you keep your word, Ms. Barton. Next time, I won't be so accommodating. Make sure to tell your husband that."

Kylie finally seemed to find her voice. "Where is my baby?" she asked, her voice breaking, "_Please._"

Lowen flicked his eyes back to Felicity and she felt a shiver run down her spine at the look he sent her way. Her heart stuttered in her chest, and before she could react, he'd reached out and snagged her wrist, pulling her harshly against him.

"Your cousin will accompany me inside, and retrieve your daughter," he stated, his voice dropping low. "You will stay here with my associates."

Felicity watched as three men came up and flanked Kylie. Her eyes went wide and she looked to Felicity for help. Knowing she had to stay calm for her cousin, she gave her an encouraging smile - the best she could muster. She knew either Diggle or Lance would be watching.

She knew without a doubt that Oliver would be following her inside, and that gave her the courage she needed to let Lowen, lead her away.

His grip was harsh on her wrist, and she was certain she'd have bruises the next day. His other hand came around her, resting low on her hip, and she tried to shrug it off only to have her wrist wrenched backwards. Pushing her in front of him, he held her captive, one hand around her waist, the other holding her hand against her back.

"Play nice, and she won't be hurt," Lowen hissed in her ear, and she felt the prick of tears at the pressure he was forcing on her hand, and the cold fear that ran through her.

The man at the door nodded to Lowen and allowed them to enter, the sound of the door closing behind them echoing loudly.

Looking around, she found herself in a large, dank open space. Crates and boxes lined the walls, and the dim lighting left her squinting to make out a few doors on the opposite side of the building. She knew behind one of those doors was where Ellie was being held.

The fact that she saw no one around worried her, and then she was suddenly pushed away from Lowen. She stumbled, shooting pain traveling up her left arm when her hands hit the cold concrete floor.

"Had I known Mr. Barton had such lovely in-laws, I would have made different demands," Lowen said, circling her as she pushed up to her feet, refusing to let him intimidate her.

"Where's Ellie?" she asked evenly, trying to keep her fears hidden although she was sure they were plastered all over her face.

"How bad do you want her back?" Lowen replied, smiling such a lecherous smile, her stomach dropped.

He was too close then, invading her space, his breath against her cheek.

"We brought you the money. You don't want to do this," she gritted out, and suddenly she knew Oliver was there. The air shifted around them and the knowledge gave her the courage and confidence she needed.

She found herself pressed against Lowen's front before she could blink, his arms steel bands around her waist as she began to struggle.

The sound of Oliver's voice echoing through the large warehouse caused a wave of relief to wash over her.

"Let her go," he growled from behind them, and Lowen pivoted on the spot, tightening his arms on her.

The second Felicity laid eyes on him, she let out a cry, wanting to call out to him but her voice was lost in the sea of emotions that swept through her. The blood pounded through her ears. She couldn't hear anything, even though she knew Lowen was speaking. Her eyes were locked on Oliver, trying to find his gaze beneath the Hood and mask.

When his eyes flicked to hers, they were hard and cold, but she saw the underlying emotions woven deep within - things only to be seen by those who knew where to look. There was a question posed in his gaze, and she immediately understood what he was asking. She nodded her head almost imperceptibly.

She trusted him. She would always trust him.

Felicity was ready to make herself dead weight when a noise from the left had Oliver pivoting on the spot as bullets began flying. She heard him yelling her name as he rolled, and she was taken to the floor with Lowen. The latter scrambled away, hiding himself behind a crate.

She heard the familiar sound of arrows whipping through the air and the shouts coming from outside and then a door banged open from across the warehouse and two more men came running out.

Oliver had just silenced the first gunman when he turned and started using his bow as a weapon to take on the next two in hand to hand.

Aloud wailing cry caught her attention and she whipped her head in the direction of the now deserted and open door across the room.

She didn't think, she simply acted. Rolling to her feet, she tried to keep her head down as she heard the sound of bullets being fired.

She had just reached the door when her right leg gave out, ripping a cry from her throat as she fell. Her left wrist throbbed as it once again made contact with the hard, unforgiving concrete, but she ignored it, as well as the sudden tears streaming down her cheeks.

Looking up, she saw the playpen and Ellie standing in it, tears streaking down her chubby cheeks and hands raised as she cried out.

Somehow, she made it to the playpen and pulled the baby up and into her arms. The sound of a bullet hitting the door made her sink to the floor, Ellie pressed beneath her as she used her body as a shield against the battle raging outside.

Whispering soft reassurances against her goddaughter's head, she tried to calm her until finally there was a halting silence. Squeezing her eyes shut, she listened to the sound of her own harsh breaths along with Ellie's muffled cries.

A hand landed on her shoulder and she jerked up, throwing her one of her elbows out as she curled protectively around the little girl clinging to her chest.

"Hey," the familiar, low voice washed over her and she looked up, a gasp falling from her lips as relief flowed through her, relaxing her tense muscles.

Oliver hushed her as he hovered over her, his eyes wild and wide with concern. A sharp, white hot pain traveled through her leg when she tried to move, and she braced both of her arms on either side of Ellie as she felt herself beginning to collapse. The pain in her left wrist flared to life and she cried out, biting down on her bottom lip to the point of drawing blood.

She heard Oliver talking to Digg and Lance on the comms, but all she could focus on was the pain in her leg and the crying child in her arms. Oliver reached for her and she could see he wanted to pick them both up and leave, but she knew they had to stay. They couldn't just disappear especially not with Ellie.

Oliver touched her leg, and she glanced down to see red blossoming against her jeans. Swallowing against the sight of blood pooling around her own leg, she shook her head, trying not to focus on the pain.

Ellie was curled beneath her, crying hard into her chest, tiny fists balled into the fabric of her shirt.

"Oliver, take her, _please_," Felicity rasped, grimacing as she accidentally moved her leg.

He only hesitated a second before sweeping Ellie up into his arms, a wail escaping the tiny child at the sudden movement, and then Felicity watched in awe as Oliver cradled her to his chest, gloved hand stroking over her blonde curls.

Slowly Ellie began to quiet, her head falling to Oliver's shoulder, her face just below the opening of the hood and turned towards his neck. Tear-filled eyes blinked down at Felicity and she gave the little girl the best smile she could while pain was shooting through her right leg and left wrist.

The little girl smiled, and then fisted her hand in Oliver's green leather hood and held on tight.

Something shifted deep inside Felicity at the image of Oliver holding the blonde haired girl - a flash of a different child - _their child_ - clinging to her father, fistfuls of green leather as she slept peacefully in his arms after he came back from protecting the city.

The desire for that rose so fast and quick within her that she had to tear her gaze away from Oliver before he read every emotion on her face.

Before she could protest, Oliver was kneeling next to her, Ellie now quiet and half-asleep on his shoulder. His free hand reached for her, pushing back hair from her face as he helped her sit up, one strong arm banding about her waist tightly. She sank against him, head pillowed on the opposite shoulder from Ellie.

Her heart stuttered in her chest when she felt him turn and press a kiss against her hairline.

"Don't move. Digg's on his way. So is Lance." He murmured, but she could hear the tension in his voice, and knew he wanted to be able to get her out of there immediately.

"I'll be fine, Oliver," she said, gritting her teeth as another bolt of pain traveled through her. "I don't think it's too deep. Just a graze…"

His breath ruffled her hair and with the hand she wasn't using to staunch the bleeding, she grasped his that was placed firmly on her hip.

"Thank you," she murmured as she gazed over at Ellie who was now asleep in his arms. "We got her back."

He let her twine her fingers with is own, holding them tightly. The sound of sirens in the distance made her try to sit up, knowing he would need to leave if the police were there, but as soon as she did, searing spikes of heat tore through her wrist and she cried out, collapsing back into his chest.

"Felicity," he breathed, unable to hide the concern in his voice, and she felt him trying to shift so he could see her better.

"I'm okay," she hissed through her teeth, waiting for some of the white spots behind her eyelids to dissipate before opening them again. "I fell and hurt my wrist…"

"Digg, we need the car close," Oliver growled, and Felicity smiled knowing he was nearby.

Ellie whimpered and she turned her head, offering the small girl a smile and untwining her fingers from Oliver's to lift them up and brush them over the side of her face.

She winced when she saw the smear of blood she left behind and stared at her hand in seeming shock, until Oliver carefully wiped the dark smear from Ellie's forehead. Then, he grabbed her hand and held it against the wound on her leg as the door to the warehouse burst open and Lance entered.

"Over here," Oliver yelled, and she could hear footsteps grow heavier and louder as they approached.

"You need to go," she whispered against his chest, but making no move to sit up. She didn't want to leave the safety of his arms despite the fact that her wrist and leg were throbbing in pain and she knew she needed medical attention.

"Ms. Smoak, are you okay?" Lance asked her quickly surveying the scene, and she watched as his eyes widened almost comically when he saw Oliver holding Ellie in his arms - the girl snuggled up to him as if he were her safety blanket.

"Huh," he snorted, "This is something I'd never thought I'd see. You some kind of kid whisperer too?"

She could feel Oliver tense beneath her, and she shifted her head, pressing her face farther into the leather of his jacket, needing him not to say something back that he would regret later.

"Ms. Smoak is hurt," was all Oliver finally stated, the voice modulator back on, and she saw Ellie jump a bit at the low sound, eyes blinking open. Her fist continued to hold on tightly to the edge of his hood as she looked at Felicity as if taking her cues from her godmother.

"The girl is unharmed, but she probably needs to be looked at," he stated evenly, and Lance nodded, reaching for her.

"Back up is on the way, you need to get out of here," Lance told him with a sigh, reaching for Ellie. "I had Ms. Barton wait outside while I checked out the scene but I won't be able to keep back up away when they get here."

As soon as Lance began to lift Ellie away from Oliver, she let out a howling scream, crocodile tears spilling down her cheeks as she grasped the leather of Oliver's jacket even tighter.

She felt Oliver react, pulling the little girl back towards him protectively. That longing feeling from earlier returned with such swiftness, she had to close her eyes and release a long breath. _Their daughter, clinging to her father, begging him not to go._ Swallowing, she pushed those thoughts away and focused on reality.

Ignoring the flash of pain in her wrist, Felicity pushed against Oliver's chest and reached out towards her goddaughter, "Hey, Ellie," she cooed, pressing her forehead against the little girls. "You're okay. I promise, baby. Let Officer Lance take you to Mommy."

At the mention of her mother, Ellie seemed to quiet, looking over Oliver's shoulder for any sign of the woman. Oliver was carefully able to pry her small fingers from the collar of his jacket and Lance quickly lifted her away, only a slight protest escaping her lips.

As soon as Ellie was out of his arms, Oliver turned and focused all his attention on Felicity.

"You need to get out of here," Lance ground out, but Oliver shook his head firmly.

"I've got her," he said, a fission of warning ringing through his voice, even through the modulator. "Go, take care of the child."

"But Ms. Smoak needs medical attention," Lance hissed angrily, advancing back towards them, Ellie beginning to wail in his arms.

Oliver shifted, and before Felicity could protest, he stood, bringing her with him, cradling her against his chest. "And I'll take care of that," he ground out. "She stays out of this mess. It would be one more link to me, to you...she doesn't need the questions."

"It's okay," Felicity whispered in his ear, her voice wavering as her head began to swim. "I...Kylie...she would worry."

Felicity suddenly felt very unsteady. Her eyelids drooped as the pain in her leg and wrist made the blood pounding through her ears reach a crescendo. Unable to keep her head upright, she let it fall to Oliver's shoulder and felt him tighten his hold on her.

There was a brief silent standoff before commotion was heard outside the door, and she knew they'd run out of time.

"Fine," Lance huffed. "I'll mention to Ms. Barton that it would be better for her husband if Ms. Smoak - another civilian - was not involved."

Felicity opened her eyes half-way to give a thankful and reassuring smile to Detective Lance. "Thank you," she said shakily, trying to convey the depth of her appreciation. "Please make sure Ellie gets seen," she added.

When Lance nodded, she sighed, her head resting against Oliver's as he turned to leave.

"I supposed you took care of the men out front as well, and the ransom money will have disappeared?" Lance called out, but Oliver didn't reply nor hesitate in his steady stride as he lead them into the darkness at the back of the warehouse just as the police crashed through the side door.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** Hey guys! I'm SO sorry it has been so long since I updated. My life got a bit busy and between work and studying for a licensure exam I'm taking in a few days, I barely had time to post and write.

As always, I LOVE to know what you think about this story! Please let me know! Thanks so much for all the support!

* * *

As they escaped through a door the back alley behind the warehouse, Felicity rested her head against Oliver's shoulder. The adrenaline began to wear off and her leg throbbed more than ever. Her breaths came out in shallow puffs against his neck, black spots dotting her eyes as she tried to cling to him tighter only to have the pain in her leg flare to life.

A whimper escaped her lips and she felt Oliver tighten his hold on her. "We're almost to the car." His voice rumbled through his chest and she nodded her head ever so slightly to let him know she heard.

Cool air hit her and she heard the sirens in the distance, but all she focused on was the strong beat of Oliver's heart beneath her ear.

She heard a car door open and then she was being laid down on the seat, Oliver following close behind.

The shifting jarred her wounds and she gritted her teeth, pulling her aching wrist into her chest, cradling it.

A car door slammed shut behind her and then Oliver was there, arms around her, guiding her back into his chest.

He immediately shed his jacket and pulled the black t-shirt over his head, leaving him barechested and, had pain not been radiating out from her leg and wrist, she would have given more than a fleeting thought to the fact that she was now pressed up against his bare flesh as she had been this morning which seemed like a lifetime ago.

He quickly wadded up the shirt and pressed it against the bullet wound on her thigh. She hissed at the sudden pressure, but his breath coasted over her forehead and she felt him press his lips to her hair. He might have whispered an apology as well, but she couldn't be sure, the blood pounding through her ears making it hard to hear.

His other hand came up and hovered over the arm she had cradled against her.

"What happened to your wrist?" he asked, his voice hoarse broke through her haze as he spoke against her ear.

A shiver ran through her and Oliver must have assumed she was cold because, before she could say anything, he was pulling his leather jacket off the floor and tucking it around her.

His fingers gently probing her sensitive flesh reminded her of the question he'd asked her - one she hadn't yet answered.

"Fell," she managed, furrowing her brow at the shakiness of her voice. "I think I might have sprained it."

She heard him grunt and then trail his fingers down until she cried out and pulled her wrist into her chest.

This time she heard him whisper an apology into her hair. She pressed her forehead against his chest, sucking deep ragged breaths into her lungs as the acute stab of pain dulled slightly.

"I think you might be right," he remarked grimly and she could hear the guilt and anger in his voice although she knew it wasn't directed at her.

"Hey, I'm okay," she whispered, twisting her upper body carefully so she could see his face for the first time.

His mask was gone, and she could see the stark fear and worry present in his blue eyes. A few different emotions lingered behind those, ones she tried to decipher but the car taking a sharp right turn pulled her attention away from his face.

"Digg," Oliver all but growled as Felicity winced, her body trying to brace itself, but Oliver had already swamped her in his arms and held her tight.

"Sorry. Driver cut me off," he replied tensely. "Not my choice."

She could hear the apology in his voice and made an attempt at speaking. "It's okay, Digg."

A shudder ran through her, and this time she did feel cold. Oliver felt it and pulled her further against him until she was practically sprawled across his lap. She let her eyelids close and released a deep breath, relaxing into his arms as they drove the rest of the way to the lair.

She felt herself drift in and out of consciousness, her body subcoming to the pain and adrenaline crash. Being surrounded by Oliver's scent - his jacket tucked around her and his arms holding her tight - left her feeling safe and content despite the gnawing guilt and worry that still seemed to permeate her heart and soul. She couldn't shake the knowledge that this had all been her fault.

Hushed voices woke her and without opening her eyes, she knew she was being carried. She felt Oliver's firm chest beneath her head and turned into it.

"We're back," Oliver whispered against her head and she heard his boots clambering down the metal staircase.

The familiar scent of the Foundry washed over her combining with Oliver's and a sudden thought ran through her mind. _Home._

"Get the blanket," she heard Oliver say and then she was gently laid down on what she knew was the medical bay table.

Her body prepared for the cool metal that would meet her skin but she never felt it. Turning her head to the side, she squinted through open eyes to see the woolen shock blanket underneath her. She smiled at their thoughtfulness. Both Oliver and Diggle knew she hated to be put on the cold med bay table. This was their compromise.

Dragging her eyes up, she saw the solid wall of Oliver's chest, and when she focused she realized she still felt his jacket draped over her upper body.

Coming back to herself, she became aware of his hand ghosting over her hair, laying solidly on her forehead, his warmth seeping into her and filling her with a feeling of contentment despite the fact that she knew her body was hurt. Oliver's touch gave her something else to focus on and she was thankful for it.

Diggle's voice caused her to turn her head back in the other direction, but Oliver's hand never left her skin.

She saw Diggle looking down at her wound, felt him prodding around a bit, and she hissed.

Oliver tensed above her and Diggle looked up, murmuring an apology. Without warning, she felt the cool edge of a scissors along her leg and then the distinct sound of fabric being cut. The cold air of the Foundry caused goosebumps to break across her newly exposed skin.

A noise rumbled from Oliver's chest and when she looked up she saw his eyes trained on Diggle, jaw ticking in a way she knew meant he was less than pleased.

Raising her uninjured arm, she reached up and grabbed his wrist, running her thumb over the sensitive underside. He sucked in a breath, his eyes dropping to her face immediately. When she offered him a small smile of encouragement, he seemed to relax a bit and gave her a somewhat apologetic look although his eyes were still dark with something undefinable.

The unexpected sting of alcohol made the breath rush from her lungs, her chest arching up off the table as she gasped, tears forming at the corner of her eyes.

"Sorry," Digg bit out, and she could tell by his voice he truly was. "But it doesn't look too bad. It bled a lot, but it was just a graze. It'll only need a few stitches."

Oliver's other hand had come to rest on her shoulder and she felt the gentle reassuring pressure. Only then did she realize she was gripping his wrist tightly with her other hand, fingers digging into the flesh.

"Sorry," she murmured, blinking away the tears, but one escaped despite her attempts.

Commanding her fingers to ease their grip, she let out a small breath.

Oliver hand moved, brushing over her cheek, wiping away the fallen tear as he leaned down. His breath coasted over her shoulder, along her neck, making her shiver for an entirely different reason than being cold.

"You have nothing to apologize for," he breathed. "Hold on a tight as you want."

Those words echoed around in her head, reminding her of an elevator shaft and completely different circumstances and she couldn't help the small chuckle that left her lips. When she opened her eyes again, she found his lips upturned at the ends and knew he'd said them on purpose.

"I'm going to give you a shot to numb the area," Diggle informed her, and she nodded, bracing for the stinging pain of the needle.

Oliver chose that moment to turn his face into her cheek, his stubble catching along her shoulder and the underside of her jaw. The soft rush of breath was quickly followed by him pressing a hot, wet kiss against her jaw, one that left her reeling just as she felt the needle enter her skin.

She inhaled sharply and turned her face closer to Oliver, surprised when she found her lips millimeters from his own. Her eyes opened, breath labored as she stared into him. His eyes traveled down her face to her lips and back up again, darkening into a dark azure, pupils widening.

"All done," Digg said, clearing his throat and breaking the moment.

She swiveled her head in his direction and saw the pointed look the military man was giving Oliver. A blush crept to her cheeks when he turned his gaze on her and raised an eyebrow.

"We need to give it twenty minutes and then I'll do the stitches," he said, tone pointed and deliberate. "In the meantime, let me see your wrist."

With a nod, she released Oliver's arm to pull the jacket down enough to extract her still-throbbing wrist.

Looking at it, she could see the dark purple bruises already forming on her skin.

A whimper escaped her lips when Diggle laid a gentle hand over it, and he gave her an apologetic look. Oliver tucked the jacket back around her and she watched as Diggle began to examine her wrist.

After a few minutes of painful touches, moving her fingers and trying to see if she could rotate it at all, he sighed and placed it back against her chest.

"I don't think it's broken," he told her, "But there's possibility of a hairline fracture. Either way, you're going to have to keep it immobilized in a sling for a few weeks."

Felicity closed her eyes, tears threatening to fall. A sling meant no typing which for her meant no work or making her work extremely hard.

"Great," she croaked, "I'll be so much use to you both then. Both of my jobs require typing and computers."

She failed to keep the sadness out of her voice, and the sudden irrational fear that gripped her at the thought of being useless to Oliver for the next month or more.

"Hey," he whispered, his face suddenly close to hers again, the hand not on her head turning her chin to look at him.

She blinked open watery eyes and saw the honesty rarely shown from him staring back at her. "You can do more with one hand than most people can with two. It'll be better before you know it."

"He's right," Diggle added with a stern nod, returning with a wrap and sling.

Felicity gave them small smiles, nodding her head. "You guys have proven before how useless you are on my computers," she tried for humor.

Both men smiled along with her, exchanging knowing looks.

"Well, what are you waiting for, Digg. Wrap me up." She quirked her eyebrows and gently raised her arm again.

Diggle gave her a smile but then surprised her by passing the wrap and sling off to Oliver. "I'll get her stitches, you wrap her up," he commented dryly, clearly amused but she wasn't quite sure why.

With a grunt, she felt Oliver take supplies from Diggle with one hand and set them on the table next to her head.

Before she could say anything else, Diggle was reminding her that there was going to be a slight pulling sensation but that's all she should feel.

Biting down on her bottom lip, she braced herself for the feeling.

The first tug had her almost drawing blood until Oliver set his free hand on her cheek and her eyes fluttered open to look at him.

"Focus on me," he said softly, and she chuckled.

"That's never hard," she muttered before she could stop herself, her eyes widening a beat later.

He had one eyebrow quirked, a smile tugging at his lips, but he remained silent.

The next pull she barely felt as she stared up into his eyes. Her heart beat slowed, her muscles relaxing as she got lost in his blue gaze. So many emotions swirled around in them that she found herself chasing after each and every one trying to figure them all out and piece them together into a full picture. Deeper and deeper she dove, until she had put together enough of the emotions to leave her breathless at the true depth of everything he was allowing her to see. The final picture - the possibility of his true feelings were almost more than she had allowed herself to dream.

When he finally moved closer, his lips against her ear again, she found herself holding her breath. "You could never be useless to me."

Her heart fluttered, breath stuttering in her chest as the meaning behind his words sank into her entire being. A smile curved upon her lips and without thinking, she tilted her head to the side, pressing a soft meaningful kiss to his cheek, accidentally catching the side of his mouth.

Blue eyes fluttered open to find his that were now almost black, so close she could see the flecks of gold in the small ring still left around his wide pupil.

"All done," Diggle said, once more clearing his throat.

Air rushed out of her lungs as she turned her head and caught Diggle staring at them with an unimpressed look.

"I thought you had her wrist," he said sarcastically, raising his eyebrows at his partner.

Oliver stilled, face pulling down into a frown as he glared at the other man. "I do," he rumbled, and Diggle couldn't fight the smile.

"Right, well, I'm going to go clean up," he said, eyes roving over them both. "She's going to need some pain medicine, especially after the numbness wears off."

Oliver gave a sharp nod of his head and then Diggle was heading to the back and the bathroom leaving them alone.

As Oliver watched Diggle leave, Felicity tried to sit up knowing it would be easier for Oliver to wrap her arm if she was upright. She also decided it would feel better for her to not have to hold her arm up and having gravity working against her.

Noticing her movement, Oliver quickly turned, his hand moving from her forehead to cup the back of her head, providing support. The arm banded around her back was strong and when white spots danced in front of her eyes, she pressed her uninjured palm to her forehead.

"Easy," he stated tightly, worry present in his voice as her head fell to his shoulder.

He stood to the side of her, arms holding her up until the dizziness subsided and she blinked open her eyes.

She was met with the sight of her ruined jeans; cut clear up to her thigh. The stitches were covered with white gauze. Her fingers fell from her head to the edges of the bandage, and she found it odd to not be able to feel her own touch.

"Guess these jeans are headed for the trash. If I'd known that, I would have picked a different pair," she sighed, tracing the worn fabric of some of her favorite pants.

Oliver's chest moved under her head as he exhaled. "I'll buy you new ones."

"Will you wear them in for me too?" she asked without thinking and squeezed her eyes shut with a half-hearted chuckle at the sudden image.

His chest rumbled with a laugh and he moved his mouth to her ear. "No, but you can have the hoodie of mine I know you've been eyeing for months."

Her cheeks flushed, pulling back look at him with wide eyes.

Instead of saying anything, he just smiled and placed a hand on her hip, giving it a squeeze as he helped her turn so her legs were hanging off the side of the medical bay table.

She felt a slight pull but otherwise it didn't hurt as she bent her knees.

"Okay?" he asked gruffly and she nodded her head.

He took a step forward so his legs were brushing hers as he let go of her to reach for the wrap for her wrist.

It wasn't until she felt the pull of muscle beneath her fingertips that she realized she'd latched on to his bicep after he'd let go of her, grounding herself.

If he noticed, he said nothing, reaching for the elbow of her injured wrist and pulling it gently towards him. She bit down on her lip, the warm and bruised flesh twinging even at the slightest movement.

Her hand slid from his bicep, not wanting to hinder his range of motion and instead managed to find his side, just above the waistband of his leather pants.

She felt the muscles twitch beneath her fingertips, the warmth of his skin seeping into her and although she knew she should probably pull away, she didn't want to - needing something to distract her from the pain in her wrist and slowly returning ache in her leg.

With more gentleness than Oliver usually showed, he slowly began wrapping the white bandage around her wrist. His fingers trailed over her bruised flesh with such care she could barely breathe.

The air was charged around them, electricity sparking from every slight touch. Their stuttered breaths filled the silence and she kept her eyes focused on the way his hands moved over her skin with care.

When he finally tucked the edge of the wrap under the last layer, placing a piece of tape over it to keep it secure, she felt as if she was going to explode from the tension that had risen within her. Every movement and touch caused feelings to stir within her that she could barely contain.

Combined with the clawing guilt and lingering worry about Ellie and Kylie, she could feel her walls crumbling and knew she needed to get out of there before she fell apart in front of Oliver.

"Thank you," she said thickly, moving to slip down from the table, apparently forgetting that her leg was still numb from the medication.

It immediately buckled underneath her and Oliver's hands were instantly on her hips, hauling her up and into him.

The feeling of his skin beneath her fingers and the emotions lingering between them and left over from the night were all too much.

"No," she cried, wrenching back and taking a gasping breath.

Oliver's arms slackened around her and she felt his intense gaze on her when she turned her head, willing her emotions to stay buried.

Grabbing the sling, she tried again to put weight on her leg, feeling the tingling sensation returning but also the acute throbbing that accompanied her injury. She bit down a sob as she stepped to the side, keeping most of her weight against the metal table.

Tears blurred her vision as she tried to figure out the sling and get it over her head.

Everything from the past 24 hours crashed into her at an alarming rate. Little flashes of the day swirled in her head and she fought back the anger that rose within her. Anger at herself more than anything or anyone else. Despite the small voice in her head - the one that sounded like Oliver - telling her that it wasn't her fault, she could only focus on all the ways it was - all the ways this could have gone differently either good and bad.

She shook her head, trying to rid her head of the images of the worst outcomes of the night as she twisted her shoulder hard to try to get the sling on and in the process managed to jar her wrist. A cry tore from her lips and she felt the tears fall down her cheeks. She needed to get this sling on, she needed to find her phone, she needed to call Kylie, she needed to check on Ellie.

If she could just get her arm through the sling and into place, maybe everything else would fall into place as well, and she could find that peace her world had been lacking since the phone call she'd gotten early that morning.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: **Hey guys! Thank you so much for all your love for this fic! I can't tell you how much it means to me! I truly am now worried about letting you down somehow with it knowing how many of you enjoy it.

As always I love to hear what you think! Please let me know! It means so much! :)

* * *

Her vision tunneled down to those few things as her breaths became shorter and more labored. Distantly, she recognized the beginning of a panic attack and she thought she heard the sound of someone calling her name.

_Felicity._

Desperately, she clung to the familiar way her name sounded from his lips and tried to drag air into her lungs. Her hands shook and she willed them to stop so she could just get the sling on and pull together the rest of her already unravelling thoughts.

By the third attempt, two hands came into her field of vision and untwisted the strap, easing it gently over her hair to where it needed to rest against her neck.

Pulling in a deep breath, she closed her eyes and searched for a something solid to grasp on to the keep her from flying apart. Everything seemed to be shifting beneath her and she just needed to gain her footing.

It wasn't until her hand made contact with something warm yet solid that she realized she'd blindly reached for him. The fingers on her good hand dug into his forearm and she knew if she opened her eyes she would see her nails digging half-moon marks into his skin.

Tears pressed against the back of her eyelids and she held them at bay, counting backwards in her head from ten, taking deep even breaths until she didn't feel like she was going to unravel with the slightest movement.

When she blinked her eyes open, she found that he'd wrapped his large hand gently around her forearm, holding on to her as much as she was to him. Flicking her gaze to his, she saw the worried expression that clouded his face, along with the intense desire to fix it all for her.

Knowing that wasn't an option, she mumbled a shaky thank you and painstakingly moved her other arm into place, using him as support - an anchor in the storm brewing inside her.

Those feelings she'd pushed away only minutes ago came rushing back and she swallowed, quickly dropped her hand from his arm. Putting most of her weight on her good leg, she began to limp towards her desk and the place that Diggle had left her purse. She heard and felt Oliver on her heels, but ignored him.

Grabbing her phone, she quickly checked the messages, finding more than one from Kylie asking her if she was okay and then that she needed to hear from her as soon as possible.

With shaking hands, she pressed the call button and waited as it rang. Kylie picked up on the second ring with a gasped "Lis!"

"I'm okay, Ky," she said in as strong a voice as she could muster.

"I was so scared, Lis," her cousin whispered. "Officer Lance told me that it would be better if you weren't involved. He said you were safe - that he'd gotten you out, but with the Arrow showing up, I was so worried. He saved my life, Lis...Officer Lance said you both saved Ellie too…"

Kylie let out a sob and Felicity pressed her eyes shut, the fear and relief in her cousin's voice adding to the weight on her chest. "Thank you, Lis. Thank you so much...I don't know what I would have done without you…"

Her words slammed into Felicity, pressing down on her until she could barely pull air into her lungs. Guilt swamped over her and it took everything in her to get the next words out of her mouth.

"You don't have to thank me...really. I'm just glad she's okay. I'll come to visit you soon. I promise. I have to go…"

And before her cousin could reply, she swiped out of the call, pressing the phone to her forehead.

A warm hand landed on her shoulder and she wrenched away. "No!" she cried. "No, don't tell me this isn't my fault. Don't tell me everything's okay because it's not. It's not, Oliver."

She turned as best as she could to face him, feeling the tears slipping down her cheeks, angry that she couldn't' keep them inside any longer.

His hands hung in mid-air and she watched as he lowered them back to his side, fisting them to keep from reaching out again as he swallowed thickly.

His eyes were pools of blue, gazing at her with such sympathy and concern she could barely breath.

"This is _my_ fault, Oliver. I didn't help her when I could have and Ellie was taken and she _thanked_ me." Her voice had risen, crescendoing into a yell at the end, but Oliver didn't even flinch. Instead he moved a step closer, reaching out with one hand and tilting her trembling chin up to look him in the eyes.

"No," he said with such force that she could do nothing but swallow. "Don't do this to yourself, Felicity. This is not your fault."

Her shoulders shook, her chest heaving under the crushing weight of everything she was feeling. His words rushed over her, through her, into her as she tried to grasp on to them and believe them.

But even with his words, Ellie's cries and Kylie's misplaced gratitude still filled her head, and as much as she wanted to, she couldn't let go of that guilt, the pain she could have prevented, all the what-ifs that could have happened.

"Why not? You do it all the time," she asked brokenly, staring up at him.

Oliver stiffened before shaking his head, his gaze drifting to the side as he let out a puff of air. "I'm pretty sure we've established that I'm not a good role model when it comes to things like that."

A small, weak half-chortle fell from his lips but Felicity saw right through his attempt to make light of it all.

"Don't do that," she said, brow furrowing at his attempted levity. "I don't like it when you play off your own pain as if it's nothing."

He sighed, his hand moving from her chin to cup her cheek. She let her eyes flutter closed momentarily, soaking in the sensation of his palm against her skin.

"Then you have to know it's ten times worse when I see you doing it to yourself. I know what it feels like to have that guilt eating away at you. I've learned to live with it, but I never want you to have to do that. I never want you to have to bear that weight. Felicity…"

His words trailed off on her name and she found herself holding her breath as he spoke to her, opening up in ways he rarely did.

"I would take as much of that weight as I could if it meant you didn't have to suffer so much in here," she whispered, her good hand moving to rest over his heart against the warm flesh of his chest.

She could feel the racing beats beneath her fingertips, and she was glad she wasn't the only one affected by the moment passing between them.

Her words seemed to take the very breath from him, and his other hand came up to braket her face in his palms. With a ragged exhale, his head fell forward until it was resting against her own as they breathed the same air.

For seconds that seemed to stretch into minutes, they stayed like that - staring openly into the other's eyes. Emotions long squashed and unspoken passed between them; words and truths they'd longed to speak but kept silent because of situations or misplaced assumptions or foolish pride.

Felicity found herself wanting this more than anything but she knew he had to be the one to make the final move.

She was about to pull away when without warning, he closed that final gap, his lips brushing over hers - softly at first and then more insistently. She gasped, opening her mouth to him and he took the opportunity, sweeping his tongue inside, causing her to moan. Her fingernails dug into the skin over his heart before she flattened out her hand , smoothing it up until she reached his shoulder. He groaned into her mouth when her fingers scraped across the back of his neck and into his hair. She quickly found herself lost in the feel and touch and taste that was Oliver Queen.

The tingling pain of the numbing medication was wearing off and she could feel the beginnings of the throbbing from her wound, but Oliver's hands on her face, his mouth slanting over her lips and his body pressed against hers wiped it all from her mind.

Calloused fingertips dragged across her scalp, tilting her head as he took charge of the kiss. She shifted her weight and then as if he recognized her need to keep weight off her leg, he ran one hand down her back, curving it around her and lifting until her toes were barely brushing the floor.

When his mouth moved from hers, she pulled in oxygen while his lips trailed down her jaw to her throat. Her heart felt as if it could beat out of her chest and she grasped at his hair, a moan escaping her when he found a sensitive spot just beneath her ear.

"Oliver," she panted, and her voice sounded foreign to her own ears, but it seemed to spur Oliver on as he used his teeth to nip at her skin where her neck met her shoulder, laving it with his tongue soon after.

A shudder ran through her and her free hand traveled from his hair down to the wide expanse of his shoulder, her fingers tripping over hot flesh - scars and all.

She felt his chest rumble, and it made heat swoop straight to her core. His mouth found her collarbone and swirled his tongue over the skin.

Her back arched towards him and it wasn't until her injured wrist got trapped in between their chests that she hissed slightly at the unexpected pressure.

Oliver reacted instantly, breaking the kiss and looking down apologetically. She felt her heels hit the concrete floor again and remembered the frenzied moment when he'd lifted her up onto the balls of her feet, holding her close.

The second she started supporting most of her weight, the throbbing in her leg reared back full force and she found herself unsteady.

Without hesitation, Oliver bent down and scooped her up, careful of her injured leg and began walking her back to the medical bay table.

"Please," she murmured, once he'd set her back down, "I want to get out of these clothes…and then the couch would be much more comfortable than this table."

Oliver looked at her, and she saw him internally debating logistics staring down at her leg and then her wrist. Finally, he nodded, but before he walked away to find her clothes, he grabbed a bottle of pills and water that Diggle had left out.

Shaking a few into her hand, and handing her the bottle, he waited and watched as she obediently took the medicine and swallowed before pressing a kiss to her forehead and telling her he'd be right back.

When he returned with a pair of her own sweatpants and the promised hoodie of his, she couldn't help but smile softly.

Just as Oliver was about to help her back to her feet, Diggle reappeared, freshly showered and looking at them intently.

"Did you take any medicine?" he questioned, walking over and inspecting her wrist, much to Oliver's annoyance.

She nodded and patted his hand. "Thank you, John," she murmured, pressing a kiss to his cheek.

Diggle regarded her for a moment and she could see the unasked question in his eyes. Was everything okay between her and Oliver?

With silent appreciation etched into her face, she nodded her head, and that was all he needed to step away and give Oliver a pat on the back before taking his leave.

"You need to take it easy for the next few days," he called over his shoulder. "I'll let Oliver be in charge of making sure you do that. Call me if you need me. I'll come check on you tomorrow."

Oliver's head swiveled in his direction but Diggle was already gone, and Felicity couldn't suppress the small chuckle the left her lips.

When he looked back at her, there was a small smile crawling up his mouth as well.

Before he could stop her, she slipped down off the table, steadying herself with her hand on his chest. His arms came up around her instinctively, and she had to fight the impulse to simply sink into him.

But the constant chill on her leg and the warmth awaiting her in Oliver's hoodie had her reaching for the borrowed clothes, bringing them closer.

She turned with half a step, making sure not to put too much weight on her injured leg. It was then that she started thinking about how exactly she was going to get her current clothes off and the new ones on with only one working hand.

Her eyes flitted down to her wrist and then back to the clothes until she grimaced and tilted her head up to Oliver.

"There's no way I'm doing this by myself, am I?" she said softly, and she heard him sigh behind her.

Tears pricked her eyes. She hated feeling helpless and with an injured leg and wrist, she couldn't help being frustrated at not even being able to do a simple thing as getting her clothes on and off by herself.

"It'll be easier if you're sitting down," Oliver offered just as softly, and she knew he was treading lightly, unsure what she wanted him to do but not wanting to overstep boundaries.

Exhaustion from the day washing over her, she found herself ready to erase those boundaries completely. Although they hadn't discussed exactly what had happened minutes ago, she was pretty sure there were very few lines left to cross.

Her heart was already his - all he had to do was reach out and take it.

Turning her head to look at him, she found him patiently waiting while she gathered her emotions. With a small smile, she reached out her hand and tangled her fingers with his as she began limping towards the couch.

She'd only taken two steps when two strong arms banded around her and she was being lifted again.

At her immediate protest, Oliver raised an eyebrow. "You heard Digg. You need to rest."

"I can walk ten feet to the couch," she muttered, rolling her eyes, but Oliver didn't put her down until he deposited her onto the green leather.

Stepping back, he waited for her to let him know where she wanted to start. Biting down on her bottom lip, she fingered the edge of the plain blue form fitting t-shirt she'd thrown on earlier that day. It was now covered in dirt and her own blood and she desperately needed it off and away from her.

Gently, his hands slid her injured wrist out of the sling. She watched him place it carefully to the side, her breaths coming out in shorter pants as he regarded her carefully before letting his hands fall to the hem of her shirt. With his help, she slid her good arm out of the sleeve and then waited as he lifted it over her head and to the side. His knuckles brushed along her skin, his breath warm and she was thankful to hear a slight hitch in it to match her own.

Kneeling in front of her, Oliver carefully eased the garment down her arm, hands protecting her wrapped wrist, keeping the material from catching on it. When it was off, she shivered, the cold air of the Foundry wrapping around her. Her thin bra doing little to keep out the chill.

Felicity startled when she felt material on her back and her flew up to find Oliver, jaw set in a firm line as he held out the hoodie, waiting for her to slip her good arm into the sleeve hole. His eyes were fixed firmly on her shoulder and it wasn't until she glanced down again that she realized the bra was doing little to hide her reaction to the cold temperature.

Her cheeks flushed and she quickly slipped her arm through the sleeve, but was unable to hold back the small moan that passed her lips when his fingers brushed against her shoulder, knuckles skimming over the sensitive flesh at the nape of her neck.

His eyes locked with hers, black pools rimmed with dark blue. She inhaled sharply, her lips parting with the action and watched mesmerized as his eyes flew to her mouth.

When she darted her tongue out to lick her suddenly dry lips, his eyes slammed shut, her name a deep, whispered groan.

Heat swirled through her, igniting nerve endings and waves of electricity crackled in the air around them. She held her breath, somehow knowing how close to the edge of his control he was in that moment. It sent a thrill through her to know she was the cause of him losing some of the poise he so often prided himself on holding.

After a few minutes, he raised his head, his eyes only slightly lighter but still filled with desire and continued his task.

Felicity felt the small smile blossom on her lips before she could stop it and when he noticed it, he sent her a knowing look, so full of heat and promise that she had to swallow as a wave of desire and need coursed through her.

She felt the way his hands dragged a little more purposefully along her skin slipping the garment to her other shoulder. For a moment, as he brought the hoodie around her, she was encased in his arms and she couldn't resist letting her head fall to his chest, revelling in the warmth and comfort that he provided.

Oliver let out a long breath, her chest moving with the rise and fall of his, as he gently eased her injured wrist into the sleeve. When he was done, he let his hands fall to the back of her head and ran his fingers through her hair.

She felt him press a kiss to the top of her head, and she couldn't keep the smile off her lips. The thought that she could definitely get used to this flew through her mind.

Oliver's chest rumbled with a chuckle and she instantly knew she'd spoken her last thought aloud.

"Not the getting hurt part," she clarified out loud, for some reason her tongue loosened with his chuckle still echoing in his ears. "But your arms around me. I could get use to that…"

His hand cupped her jaw, tilting her head backwards until he could catch her gaze. A dozen different emotions brewed within his eyes as he opened his mouth to speak.

"I don't want you to get used to getting hurt. I've never wanted that," he said, his voice tight and strained.

She brought her own hand up to cover his, squeezing it gently as she nodded.

"But you better get used to the other because I'm not planning on letting you go," he murmured, his voice dropping an octave as his gaze swept over her face, before he leaned it and planted a soft kiss against her lips.

He was pulling away far too soon and Felicity opened her eyes, blinking up at him through her lashes.

The hopeful look he gave her had her arching up to press another kiss to his mouth, her lips closing over his bottom lip, running her tongue over it until he moaned against her, and she smiled as he tilted her head and took control of the kiss.

His tongue swept inside her mouth, exploring and coaxing noises from the back of her throat.

When he finally pulled back, her breathing was erratic, but she noticed his was as well and smiled softly.

His forehead rested against hers, his voice low and deep sending tendrils of heat through her when he spoke. "Now let's get you out of those pants…"

She inhaled sharply at his words, heat flushing her cheeks despite the kiss they'd just shared. His words held promises that she couldn't wait to explore even if they wouldn't be tonight.

"You have no idea how long I've dreamt of you saying those words," she mused, her mouth speaking what came unbidden to her mind.

The flush already present deepened and she felt Oliver still. Her eyes popped open and she saw him regarding her with a look that had her licking her suddenly dry lips. His gaze fell to watch the action and she swallowed at the stark desire written in his dark promising gaze.

Her fingers itched to touch him, trace over the strong lines of his jaw and feel his stubbled.  
It wasn't until she tried to raise her sprained wrist and couldn't stop the sudden cry that tore from her throat at the movement that he stopped, looking down at her with alarm and then guilt.

Pulling deep breaths in through her nose until the aching subsided, she then saw that Oliver was watching her closely. She gave him a soft, reassuring smile, silently telling him she was okay.

Oliver's eyes slid shut and his head fell forward before he nodded it slowly. When he returned his gaze to her, his eyes were lighter, but she could still see the desire swirling just below the surface.

With a deep breath, he gave her a slight smile before reaching for the pair of her sweat pants.

Her heart beat loudly in her ears as she dropped her good hand to the button of her jeans, fumbling with it until two large hands encompassed hers and pushed them out of the way. Her breath hitched in her throat, she watched as he easily flicked open the button and slid the zipper down. She looked up at him through half-lidded eyes and was rewarded with deep blue pools staring at her with such longing that her stomach twisted in want.

Despite the situation, it was nice to know he was so affected by her - it wasn't just her that couldn't get enough of his touch and his kisses. He was struggling as well.

And yet, despite all of that, she saw the tenderness beneath it all. He wanted her, but he also wanted to take care of her. Her heart flipped at the thought, her throat tightening with emotion as she tried to swallow.

Hooking two fingers into the waistbands of her jeans, he began to pull them down her hips. His knuckles brushed against the sensitive flesh just above her underwear and she could barely breath.

Her hand reached out and grasped his bicep, holding on as she tried to lift her hips to help him. The instant pull on her stitches had her screwing her eyes shut and pulling in deep breaths through her nose as nausea hit her swiftly in the stomach.

When the pain abated to a dull ache, she realized Oliver had put one hand behind her head and guided her against his chest once more. Her forehead rested on his bare skin and she let out a long breath before pulling back and opening her eyes to give him an apologetic smile.

"Guess that wasn't a good idea," she whispered, her voice low and breathy.

The pained smile that flited over his lips had her tightening her hand on his arm, letting him know it wasn't his fault.

Without another word, Oliver banded one arm around her waist, the hand hooking back into the waistband of her jeans. As he lifted her easily, he slowly slid the garment from her hips until it settled just above her stitches.

When he placed her back on the couch, she felt the rapid staccato of her heart in her chest. Despite the pain, every touch, the way he was caring for her, the look in his eyes, was causing a steady pool of heat to build within her.

With a gentle hand on her shoulder, he urged her to lie back against the pillows. She did so with gratefulness, the medicine he'd given her beginning to take effect.

As carefully as he could, he slid the ruined jeans over her injury and down her legs, his fingers skimming along her skin leaving trails of electricity wherever he touched.

His name fell from her lips as the calloused pads of his fingers brushed against the sensitive underside of her knees and then dragged down her calf. She felt him still momentarily and opened heavy-lidded eyes to find his own dark gaze locked on her face.

She offered him a small smile, and he let out a long breath, leaning up quickly and pressing a heated kiss to her lips that left her breathless and gasping for more.

Tossing the ruined jeans to the side, he pulled the sweat pants to her feet and gently slid her feet into them before slowly easing them up her legs.

When he reached her stitches, he again worked with more care than she usually saw from him, easing the soft material past the taped bandage and to her hips. Before she could even attempt to move, he bent over her, lifting her in one swift motion and pulled the pants over her hips.

She clung to him, not wanting to let go, enjoying the comforting scent and presence that surrounded her.

When he set her back, he pressed a soft kiss to her temple.

"Now what?" she mumbled, half-asleep.

She heard him chuckle softly before his voice sounded next to her ear, soft and easy. "Now, you need to rest."

"No cars...too much moving," she murmured, and she didn't have to open her eyes to see him contemplate the situation.

"You'll stay?" she asked softly, eyes cracking open as her hand tugged on his arm.

"I'm not going anywhere," he replied solemnly, and she smiled as the couch dipped beside her.

Warm arms encircled her and her head fell to his chest, nuzzling the side of his neck softly. She felt him shift them, and smiled when she ended up snuggled into his chest as he lay on his back. A warmth landed on top of her and she felt the blanket he'd pulled from the back of the couch.

"I'm so getting used to this," she mumbled, and he chuckled in response, his hands coasting up and down her back.

Sleepily, she raised her head and looked down at him, leaning up to find his lips in the dim light. She smiled as he nipped at her bottom lip and then deepened the kiss, pulling a moan from her throat. His lips moved against hers languidly and she found she would never get enough of his kisses.

When they broke apart, she was breathless and grinning.

In that moment, she wished she wasn't injured and half-asleep. She wanted to finish what they were starting; feel more of his hands on her body and know what if felt like to be completely filled with Oliver Queen.

Her heavy eyelids fell to half-mast and he brushed strands of hair away from her face as he guided her head back against his chest.

"Sleep," he murmured softly, and she mumbled something unintelligible in response as she complied.

Encompassed in strong arms, with his familiar scent and the gentle lull of his heart beneath her ear, Felicity let herself fall asleep, a smile on her face.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: **Hey guys! I'm so sorry this took awhile to get out. I realized as I was editing that this is actually the last chapter before a little epilogue that I'm going to do for it.

I don't know how many times I read and reread over this, wanting to make sure it was good and it would draw this story to a fitting close.

I can't tell you how much all your support has meant. This story has been an interesting one for me to write and post. I truly appreciate all of you who have left comments and let me know that you have enjoyed it! You guys are wonderful!

As always, let me know what you think and an epilogue will be coming soon!

* * *

he woke twice to nightmares, gasping for breath as large hands bracketed her face and calmed her with whispered words of comfort and promise.

Both times she was calling for Ellie, watching as she never got there in time, her screams echoing in the large warehouse.

"She's safe. You got her. You're safe," Oliver soothed, stroking her hair and brushing away errant tears.

Felicity buried her face against his neck, pulling in ragged breaths and matching the rise and fall of his chest until she felt sleep pulling at her again.

Both times, she fell back asleep with Oliver's words of comfort echoing in her head.

The third time she woke, it was slow and peaceful. She was warm and comfortable, her head rising and falling gently as his chest moved beneath her. The soft sensation of gentle hands running up and down her back made her smile into the tanned skin. Letting out a soft sigh, she turned her head and pressed a kiss to his collarbone, her nose nuzzling his neck.

He responded with a low hum of approval and that was when she fully woke, realizing that this wasn't a dream. It was very real and she couldn't stop smiling. Instead of panic, she felt peace and ease.

It didn't take long for that easy feeling to shatter when she remembered the previous days events.

As if sensing her immediate change, Oliver's hand halted its movement over her head and his other moved to cover hers where it lay draped across his stomach.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice holding a current of apprehension.

"I just...I'm worried about Kylie and Ellie...I need to go see them. I need to make sure they're okay," she whispered, tilting her head up to catch his gaze and she saw the tension ease from his eyes.

She realized with a pang of regret that he'd been worried she was rethinking the apparent unspoken agreement they'd come to last night in regards to their own relationship.

Needing to reassure him, she leaned up and pressed a soft kiss to his lips. The hand on her head moved to cup the nape of her neck, pulling her closer as he opened his mouth and deepened the kiss, relaxing into her.

Fingers tripped down her side, from her back to her hip and she felt the heat of his touch as they fell beneath the hem of the hoodie he'd given her to wear the night before.

She hummed as his tongue swept along her bottom lip. He grinned, his hand squeezing hers as he placed one more soft kiss on her mouth before letting his head fall to the pillow once more.

She blinked open sleepy eyes to find him smiling softly and her heart warmed at the sight.

When she absentmindedly shifted her legs and began to press against his chest to lift herself up, two shockwaves of pain flew through her.

A cry tore from her lips and she sucked in a deep breath as she went slack, Oliver's arms catching her and easing her back down.

As the pain ebbed, he ran fingers through her hair, squeezing her shoulder before continuing to her injured wrist and gently holding it immobile against his chest.

"That was a mistake," she whispered when she could finally speak again.

She felt Oliver press a kiss against her forehead. "You need more medicine."

"I need to go see Kylie and Ellie," she replied softly even though her body was demanding she stay right where she was, wrapped securely in his arms.

"Medicine first," Oliver said, holding her to him as he slowly eased himself into a sitting position, mindful of her wrist and leg.

Felicity worked with him and carefully shifted her injured leg so it didn't bump into his as he sat them up.

"Thank you," she mumbled into the skin of his neck and pressed her forehead there for a moment before leaning back.

"I think I'm going to need a shower, or at least a change of clothes before I go see them," she added, feeling the day old grime covering her.

Oliver quickly set her on the couch beside him, reaching for her sling and helping her put it on to immobilize her arm. Then, standing, he grabbed the medicine and her water bottle from the night before and brought it back to her. Shaking two pills into her hand, he watched as she swallowed them and handed the bottle back with a soft thanks.

Her phone was placed in her hand and she gave him a grateful look as she saw that she had two text messages from Kylie. One telling her that they had kept Ellie in the hospital overnight for observation and that Ben was now in stable condition. The second text asked her to call.

Felicity sighed as Oliver sat down next to her, arm stretching out behind her as she leaned into his broad chest, seeking his support and comfort. Her body protested every little movement as if realizing the strain it had been put through the night before and decided to make its complaints known.

"I'll take you to your apartment so you can get cleaned up and then we can go to the hospital," he told her softly, his chest rumbling beneath her ear.

His use of the word 'we' wasn't lost on her as her lips curved into a small smile.

"Thank you," she murmured even as her eyes began to drift shut again.

The loud beep of the door caused her eyes to fly open. Digg descended the steps, raising an eyebrow when he reached the bottom and spotted them.

"I thought you two might still be here," he stated, "You know when I told you to take care of her, I didn't mean sleep on the couch."

One eyebrow arched in Oliver's direction and he crossed his large arms in front of his chest.

"She was tired and didn't want to get in a car," Oliver explained, rolling his eyes.

Felicity smiled. "Besides, he's not a bad pillow," she added, and then blushed when she realized what she'd said out loud.

Diggle raised both brows and then shook his head. "There are some things I don't need to know, Felicity," he quipped. "That's one of them."

A noise came from Oliver and she glanced over to see him leveling Digg with a glare. Her hand found his and squeezed before standing up slowly. Oliver followed her instantly, his hand at her back as she tested out her leg.

The first few steps, she found she was pretty stiff but it became easier and easier.

"How's it feel?" Diggle asked, eyeing her closely, before giving Oliver a quick glance.

"It still hurts, but not that bad," she said truthfully. "The pain meds are helping."

Diggle grunted and nodded his head. "Good."

"If you're okay, I'm going to go spend some time with Lyla today," Diggle told them, looking back and forth between she and Oliver. "She's got some time off and you need rest."

Felicity nodded. "After I go check on Kylie and Ellie, I will. Promise."

Digg sighed and stepped forward. "Okay," he whispered and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "See you later. Call if you need me."

"We will," she replied and she knew by the twinkle in his eyes, he hadn't missed her own use of the word 'we.'

An hour later, she was emerging from her own bathroom, freshly showered and feeling much better despite the fact that it took her twice as long to do everything.

Oliver was perched on her bed, within earshot just in case she needed help.

She struggled but was able to wash her hair with her one good hand, however, drying it was going to be a different story altogether.

Biting her lip, she made her way towards him, stopping a few feet away.

He looked up at her, his brow crinkling in concern as his gaze swept appreciatively up her body. "Um…" she began, wondering why she was suddenly at a loss for words when she'd woken up on top of him this morning.

"Can you help me with my hair?" she finally blurted out, and watched Oliver's eyebrows rise on his forehead.

"I can't dry it very well with just one hand," she explained and his gaze softened as he reached for the towel she had brought with her.

He tugged her closer, fingers closing over her own until she was standing between his legs. Scooting back on the bed, he guided her to sit and then placed the towel over her hair, gently easing it away from her face and twisting it to wring out the excess water.

The gentleness in his actions surprised her and she soon found herself leaning back against him as he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed the side of her neck.

The damp towel was thrown to the side as he nuzzled his face into her skin, nipping a soft line down the column of her neck. Pulling air into her lungs, she swallowed as the sensations he was drawing from her threatened to tip her over the edge.

Deft fingers played with the ties of her robe, the heat from his hands searing her through the thin satin material.

"Oliver," she moaned when he found that spot right beneath her ear, her back arching away from him as she pushed her hips against his. A low grunt escaped his throat and she suddenly felt just how much he was affected as well.

Her good hand covered his on her stomach and he laced his fingers with hers as he pulled her earlobe into his mouth, sucking it gently.

She keened, throwing her neck back and breathing heavily. She could feel him smiling against her skin and wanted to make him as breathless as he had made her.

Twisting her head, she sought out his lips, capturing them in a heated kiss, running her tongue along his lips and then pulling the bottom one into her mouth, biting down softly.

The deep guttural groan that rumbled up from his chest had him jerking his hips up as well.

She felt the hand on her head move to cup the back of her neck, angling her head so he could take control of the kiss and by the time she had to pull away for oxygen, the blood was thrumming through her veins, igniting every spark on it's way to her core.

His heavy-lidded gaze only made that feeling stronger, as she ached for him. All rational thought fled her when dark cobalt blue locked with her. Quicker than she should have, she turned in his lap.

The sharp pain that tore through her leg had her crying out as bright spots danced behind her eyelids.

White hot bolts of pain traveled through her as she worked on pulling oxygen into her lungs.

When she could finally open her eyes again, she found that she was pressed up against Oliver's chest, her forehead resting on his shoulder, his hands gently stroking up and down her back as he whispered soft words of reassurance in her ear.

Taking one more deep stuttered breath, she pulled back and the wetness of her cheeks surprised her.

Oliver brought one hand to her face, and using his thumb wiped the tears away.

"Sorry," she murmured, her voice hoarse and a bit shaky.

He let out a deep breath and leaned his forehead against hers as his eyes fell shut. "I'm the one who should apologize. I shouldn't have let things go that far - not while you're still hurt."

Felicity swallowed thickly. "I don't regret it," she told him smiling. "I'm going to expect you to finish what you started here when I'm better."

A smile curved on his lips, his eyes twinkling with darkening desire. "Oh, I will," he whispered throatily. "I promise."

"Good."

She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his, a slow soft kiss full of promise.

"I better go find actual clothes," she murmured against his lips.

Before Oliver could reply, she pushed on his shoulders and carefully slid herself off his lap. His hands steadied her at the waist and she smiled in thanks before turning and hobbling to her closet.

She settled on a flowing skirt that would cover her thigh injury but not put any more pressure on it and a simple v-necked t-shirt. It was there that she ran into trouble.

As many times as she tried, she couldn't get latch the closure on the back of her bra with only one hand. She had tried to use the other hand but quickly nixed that idea when the throb of pain that went through her arm brought another batch of tears to her eyes.

"Oliver?" she called from just inside the bathroom door where she'd brought her clothes to change.

He was there in seconds and she wondered if he'd been waiting on the bed or had moved even closer.

She opened the door and his eyes widened when he saw her standing there in nothing but a skirt and unclasped bra.

With a huff, she turned around, her tired arm silently holding out the unclasped closures.

Her skin tingled when his hands covered hers , and she sighed in relief when she could let hers drop once he had hold of both sides.

With more ease than she wanted to dwell on in that moment, he had her bra clasped together and she turned and smiled up at him in shy thanks.

The darkened look in his eyes made her stomach swoop and she blew out a long breath as she noticed he was keeping his eyes trained steadfastly on her face. The thought that he probably wanted to help her take that garment off more than he wanted to help her put it on flew through her mind and made a low coil of heat swirl through her stomach.

Taking a deep breath, she focused on the task at hand. Knowing she would need help with the shirt as well, she grabbed it and held it out. He smiled, taking it, and finding the arm that her injured wrist would travel through before holding it up. Gently, he eased it over her hand and up her arm, his fingertips brushing her bare skin and leaving goosebumps in their wake.

The shirt was on before she knew it and his hands came to rest on her hips once more, pads sneaking up beneath the hem and rubbing soft circles against her skin.

Her sudden need to feel his arms around her once more startled her, but she let herself lean into his chest. Strong arms wrapped around her and she sighed contentedly.

As she breathed in his scent, her fingertips tracing the ridges of muscles along his back, she thought back over the changes that had taken place in the last twenty four hours. Just yesterday morning she'd woken up to the call from Kylie. She'd ended up at the mansion without even realizing it, and yet it felt right, just as standing in his arms this morning did.

This felt right. What was happening between them.

In some aspects, it had happened fast. In others, it seemed as if they'd been building towards this from the moment he walked into her office with a bullet-ridden laptop and a flimsy excuse of a story.

"You're thinking too much," his voice rumbled in her ear, and she chuckled softly, lifting her head to find his gaze.

He tilted his chin and studied her face. She could see the concern in his eyes and wanted to wipe it away.

Leaning up on her tiptoes, she pressed her lips to his in a sweet, chaste kiss. "I was just thinking about how yesterday morning things were so different," she said softly, her hands shifting on his back, tracing light patterns over the grey cotton t-shirt. "And yet this feels right."

She watched as he visibly relaxed, his mouth curving into a small smile as he released a breath and pressed his forehead against hers. "It does."

Kissing him one more, she sighed, catching herself yawning.

"Come on," Oliver whispered, sliding his hands down her arms and interlacing their fingers. "Let's get you to the hospital to see Ellie so you can rest. Your body still needs it."

Felicity simply nodded, knowing what he said was true. Her movements were slower than normal and she was thankful for the constant hand at her back and support he offered her as she slipped on her favorite flats and grabbed her purse as they left her apartment.

The ride to the hospital was short but she still dozed off, a combination of the medicine and her body trying to heal making it hard for her to stay awake.

She woke to Oliver's fingers trailing across her cheek, worried blue eyes silently asking if she was up to this.

"I'm okay," she murmured reassuringly, but she knew she was less than convincing. "Let's go."

Oliver was at her side, helping her from the car before she even had her door open. She gratefully accepted his support and couldn't suppress the warmth that ran through her every time his hand brushed against her lower back. The conflicting feelings of desire and comfort stirred within her, but overarching all of them was the feeling of safety that surrounded her because of his presence beside her.

They found Kylie sitting next to her husband's bedside, Ellie sleeping quietly in her arms.

When she saw Felicity, her eyes widened and she carefully shifted the little girl as she stood and reached out her free arm to her cousin.

"Lis!" she cried, and Felicity could hear the tears in her throat. "I was so worried about you. Detective Lance...he said you were being taken care of but he didn't say anything else...just that it would be better for you not to be involved..."

"I know and I'm okay, Ky," she replied, swallowing the emotion that rose within her at seeing her goddaughter safe and blinking open sleepy eyes at her.

"Your arm!" Kylie motioned to the sling that held her injured wrist with widened eyes. "You're not okay."

Felicity gave her cousin the most confident smile she could as she reached for her hand. "I am. It's just a sprain, that's it."

She thought she heard Oliver's chest rumble behind her but she ignored it, sure if she turned to look at him, she'd see the flash of anger in his eyes because she had been hurt worse, but she wasn't going to tell Kylie that. It would raise too many questions of why she didn't get medical help and who had helped her; those were things better left unspoken.

"I don't know what I would have done without you, Lis," she whispered, tears clogging her voice before suddenly realizing Felicity wasn't alone. Wide eyes flew to hers as she regarded Oliver who stood behind her in his black leather jacket and jeans.

"Oh," Kylie breathed, a surprised look crossing her face as she turned to Felicity with an inquisitive gaze. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you…"

Oliver smiled with ease and waved off her concern, "It's fine. I'm glad to see that you and your family are safe."

Kylie gave him an appreciative smile. "Thank you."

Felicity shook her when she remembered she hadn't introduced them. Although by the look on Kylie's face, her cousin knew exactly who was standing in front of her.

"I'm sorry. Kylie this is Oliver Queen. Oliver, this is my cousin Kylie and this," she said, reaching out her good hand and stroking a few fingers down her goddaughter's cheek, "This is Ellie."

Oliver's smile softened as the little girl lifted her head from her mother's shoulder and gave him a long look. She was reaching for him before Felicity could even react and she saw the confusion that passed over Kylie's features.

"Gween," Ellie mumbled as her small fingers latched on to the leather collar of Oliver's black jacket.

Felicity felt her chest tighten at the realization that Ellie somehow recognized Oliver from the previous night. Knowing she needed to intervene before her goddaughter said anything else, she scooped Ellie up with her good arm and spun them around, momentarily forgetting about the stitches in her leg. Oliver's hand on her waist steadied her and she was thankful he was there to give her support in more ways than one. The little girl shrieked and laughed, blonde curls bouncing around her face as she wrapped her chubby arms around Felicity's neck.

Bringing her back to her body, Felicity nuzzled the top of her head. "I'm so glad you're safe, honey," she murmured into the soft golden hair. "She checked out okay?" she directed towards Kylie.

Her cousin nodded, "A few scratches but nothing huge. I have you and the Arrow to thank for that..."

Felicity felt Oliver tense behind her and she shifted back towards him as she swayed with Ellie in her arms.

"Yes," Felicity stated softly. "He did save her...and me."

"Then I have a lot to thank him for," Kylie smiled, reaching out and giving Felicity a side hug, careful of her sling.

She shared a smile with her cousin and then took one more step towards Oliver so her back was almost touching his side. His hand automatically went to her waist and she tilted her head to look at him, the emotion in his eyes hitting her harder than she expected. The worry and guilt was back along with gratitude and she wanted more than anything to lean back into his embrace once more.

When her cousin cleared her throat, her eyes flew back to the woman in front of her who was giving her a knowing look. Felicity felt her cheeks heat and resisted the urge to bite down on her bottom lip. Thankfully, Kylie decided to take pity on her and change the subject although Felicity knew she'd been getting questioned later.

"Are you two going to be here for a few minutes? I need to go talk to the doctors about Ben's recovery. They've given him medication to sleep so he can heal but they said they wanted to talk to me about his recovery and physical therapy…"

"Sure, Ky, go ahead," Felicity said with a smile, "We'll watch Ellie."

"Thank you," she sighed in relief and she gave Felicity's hand one more squeeze before disappearing through the door.

As soon as she was gone, Felicity let herself close the remaining distance between her and Oliver. His hands rested lightly on her shoulders and she felt him press a soft kiss to her hair.

She was about to say something when Ellie spoke up first. Tiny fists once again latched onto Oliver's jacket, wide eyes looking up at him with a smile. "Gween," she gurgled and then was practically crawling out of Felicity's arms into Oliver's chest.

He caught her easily, his hands wrapping around her small body and holding her close to his chest like he had the night before. Felicity felt that same pull deep inside her as she turned and watched Ellie curl up into his chest.

"I think someone has a crush," she teased softly, her free hand reaching up and pushing blonde curls away from Ellie's face and noticing that she'd closed her eyes once more and seemed to be drifting back to sleep.

Oliver looked down at the little girl in his arms in wonder and then to Felicity. The smile blossoming on her lips couldn't be stopped and neither could her need to kiss him. Ignoring the slight pain in her leg she lifted up on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

It was short. Too short for all the pent up emotions raging inside of her, but when they broke apart, he kept her close, his free hand on her waist.

He pressed one more kiss to her forehead before she rested her cheek against his shoulder, staring at a content and sleeping Ellie.

The pang of want became stronger with each moment she watched Oliver with Ellie. She knew it was too fast. They'd just begun to explore something more than friendship and declared their feelings - thinking about a future with children and family seemed a little bit of leap. Then again, she and Oliver were anything but the ordinary run-of-the-mill couple.

Still, she closed her eyes and tried to push those feelings and desires to the back of her mind.

When her eyes fluttered open, Ellie was pulling her thumb into her mouth and Felicity reached out her good hand and tucked a few curls behind her ear, gently caressing her smooth skin.

The words came out before she could stop them. "I never knew if I wanted a family...kids...My own family…" she trailed off with a sigh not knowing where to even start with her mother and father. It was a subject she normally avoided.

She wasn't even very close to her aunt and uncle on her mom's side. But she and Kylie had grown to be almost inseparable when they were teenagers. They were the closest thing to blood family she had anymore.

Oliver's hand had stopped rubbing circles into her back and she could tell he was waiting for her to finish.

"It's complicated," she murmured. "Kylie and Ben and Ellie are the closest family by blood that I really have. My mother is...well….she's my mother," her eyes closed as the painful memories resurfaced sending a shudder through her. "And my father...well, I don't really know what my father was because he abandoned us…"

She felt Oliver's muscles tense beneath her, the stutter in his breath and then his long exhale.

Lifting her head from his shoulder, she gave him a watery smile, not unaffected by the memories her words had brought back.

"With all of that, I never knew if I wanted this," she motioned to Ellie and Ben. "I watched my mom struggle for years after my father left and...I didn't think I could bear it if another man I loved - someone I gave my heart to - left me as well."

Her voice came out as barely a whisper, but she knew he heard because before she'd finished her last word, his hand was on her cheek, thumbs wiping away errant tears she hadn't realized she'd cried.

"I have no idea why anyone would ever leave you, Felicity," he told her, his voice soft but held an undercurrent of conviction. He tilted her chin up and waited for her eyes to meet his before he said his next words. "You're not going to lose me. I'm not going to abandon you or leave you."

A lump formed in her throat and tears clouded her vision. Her chin trembled with the wave of emotion that crashed over her. Those words she'd so longed to hear from someone; words she wanted so much to believe and did believe from him soaked into her very soul.

When her eyes slipped shut, she sucked in a deep breath, as tears tracked down her cheeks.

Warm lips kissed them away, and she leaned up, seeking out his mouth and claiming it with her own.

"Thank you," she whispered when they parted, her breath slightly labored.

He gave her a small smile and she rested her forehead on his shoulder, trying to gather her suddenly overflowing emotions.

A few moments later, she sighed and lifted her head, taking a deep breath she was just about to say something when she heard the door opening.

When she saw Kylie enter the room with tears in her eyes, Felicity quickly crossed the room, reaching for her. "Ky, what's wrong? Is something wrong with Ben?"

Kylie shook her head as her eyes wandered to Oliver and regarded him in disbelief, confusion flitting across her face.

Felicity furrowed her brow and glanced back at Oliver who stood stoically with Ellie in his arms, an unreadable look crossing his features.

"Ben's going to be fine," Kylie finally said, swallowing thickly. "He's going to need a lot of physical therapy and won't be able to work for awhile, but he's going to make a full recovery."

"That's great news, Ky," Felicity breathed out in relief, still confused as to the tearful expression and the looks she kept giving to Oliver.

Kylie glanced back at Oliver again. "The nurse also told me all of our hospital bills had been paid along with any more that would accumulate…"

Felicity whirled around as best she could with wide eyes and saw Oliver regarding them with a softening expression. His gaze flicked to hers and she found confirmation of Kylie's words. Her eyes widened and she shook her head, trying to reconcile Oliver paying her family's enormous hospital bill, especially since without Ben's job, they had no insurance.

"I don't completely understand why you would do this, Mr. Queen," Kylie spoke, her voice trembling, "but I can't thank you enough. For everything."

Oliver nodded his head and held out his hand to her cousin. "I'm sorry for the hardships my family's choices cost yours. The Glades wouldn't be the place they are today if not for my mother's dealings. Your family should never have had to go through this. It's the least I can do. And, please, call me Oliver."

Felicity took a step towards him, her good hand landing on his bicep in comfort. She knew the guilt that still rested heavily on his shoulders at not being able to stop what had happened in the Glades; compounded even more by the fact that his own mother had been an accomplice in it all.

Kylie nodded her head and shook his outstretched hand, but then surprised them both by stepping forward and leaning up to place a kiss on his cheek. "Your parent's mistakes are not your own."

Her eyes fell to Felicity and she knew her words were meant for more than just Oliver. Giving her cousin a soft smile, she nodded her head in silent understanding and gratitude.

"Thank you," Oliver stated, and Felicity heard the tremor in his voice.

Kylie's expression changed as she stepped back, and Felicity held her breath. She knew that look. It was the "Felicity is like my little sister" look coupled with the "don't hurt her" look.

"You take care of Lis," she stated evenly, her eyes flashing. "She's important to me."

"She's important to me as well," Oliver replied, not the least bit perturbed or seemingly surprised by Kylie's stern words.

"Good," was her only reply.

Ellie shifting in Oliver's arms drew their attention away from Oliver and Felicity's somewhat undefined relationship and back to the little girl who had brought them all together.

Kylie shook her head in wonder. "Are you a child-whisperer? She never takes to strangers strangers that easily."

Felicity snorted and Oliver leveled her with a playful glare. "Child-whisperer...I like it."

At her smile, she saw his own lips lifting up and then he looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. Felicity watched in awe as his expression softened and that pull in her chest was back, stronger than ever.

"She's beautiful," he was saying when she finally focused back on the conversation and saw that Ellie had blinked open her eyes to see her mother.

With a happy gurgle, she transitioned to her mother's arms and Oliver stepped up to Felicity, his hand landing at her hip and squeezing. Her fingers found his and intertwined with them.

After a few more minutes, they said goodbye to Kylie, and Oliver told her to let Felicity know when Ben was ready to go back to work and he'd find him a job at the company if he wanted. Kylie thanked him and Felicity gave Ellie one more kiss on the head before they left the room.

Their walk to the car was silent and the moment Felicity sank down into the seat, she felt exhausted, just from that little time. Letting her eyes slip shut, she heard Oliver's door open and him climb in before the door closed and he started the engine. His hand landed on her knee, squeezing gently and she turned her head, opening her eyes to look at him.

"How is your leg?" he asked softly, and she sighed as she shifted down into the seat.

"Hurts, but it's not too bad," she replied honestly.

Her hand found his and squeezed it tightly, letting him know she really was okay. "I'm just tired."

He made a noise of agreement and then she felt the car begin to move, his hand however, stayed entwined with hers until they pulled back up outside her apartment building.

She insisted on walking up to her apartment, but her head rested firmly on his shoulder the entire ride up the elevator. His hand settled low on her waist, guiding her down the hallway and slipping her keys out of her hands to unlock the door.

Half-asleep, she let him lead her back to her bedroom where he gently eased her down against the pillows. He carefully slipped her glasses off her face before pressing a kiss to her forehead. Sleepily, she reached for his hand as he was about to slip away, in silent invitation.

He squeezed her hand before letting go, and she heard him shrug off his jacket and the the clunk of his boots on the floor.

Thirty-six hours after she woke up to a call that flipped her world upside down, she was back in her bed, her head on her pillow once more. Only this time, her God-daughter was safe, Oliver was wrapped around her - strong arms cocooning her into his warm - and she dreamed of a future with him and a family of their own.


End file.
